Former England striker Michael Owen is expecting Arsenal to lose when they face Tottenham in the North London derby this evening.

The Gunners have flattered to deceive with their displays in the league this season and, with Spurs sitting at the top of the table heading into the weekend’s fixtures, Owen believes the home side will secure the three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:

“Arsenal’s performance has dipped in recent weeks. It’s been particularly noticeable that they’ve not had the same swagger at home as they’ve had in recent seasons. Spurs have been playing well. They’ve adapted to Jose Mourinho’s style of play and could be in with an outside chance of winning the league. Jose has set up to play on the counter a lot this season, and I think they could further benefit if he opened up and went at teams a bit more. Based on form I can’t see anything other than a Spurs win.”

Owen has gone with a 2-1 win for Spurs, which on current form, would be a fair prediction. Hopefully, Mikel Arteta’s men can prove him wrong by putting in one of their best performances of the campaign tonight.

Arsenal have been pretty solid defensively on the road, and Arteta has been able to use the counterattack effectively against other ‘big six’ clubs recently so that may be a tactic they will employ.

Even so, they will need the likes of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in form if they are to get a result, and it will be hoped that the 31-year-old will rediscover his touch in front of goal in time for the derby.