This second Sunday Premier League Preview sees a huge match in the battle for the top four, with North London sides Tottenham and Arsenal battling it out. The second match sees goal shy Middlesbrough face Guardiola's City.

Tottenham vs Arsenal – Sunday 30th April 2017 – 16:30 - Sky Sports 1

Tottenham-Arsenal

Tottenham are 17/20 with Harry Kane at 7/2 to score first.

Tottenham welcome Arsenal to White Hart Lane this Sunday afternoon, with Tottenham looking to confirm their place as the best side in North London.

Tottenham come into this match on the back of a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace, with Spurs narrowly winning this London derby.

It was an even contest for most of the match, with only a rare bit of quality separating the two sides.

Christian Eriksen (78) fired home a wonderful 30-yard strike to settle the tie, with Spurs keeping the pressure on Chelsea.

This was an excellent result for Spurs, with Pochettino's men keeping the pressure on Chelsea.

Excellent Start For Spurs

Spurs have enjoyed an excellent season so far, they have won their last eight successive Premier League matches.

Mauricio Pochettino and his side are in 2rd place in the Premier League, they are 4 points off Chelsea and 8 ahead of Liverpool, with a game in hand.

Harry Kane has made a successful return from injury, this will be a massive boost in the five remaining matches.

Tottenham have lost just three games (the joint best in the league), and they also have the joint best goal difference in the league as well.

Much More To Come

Spurs come into this fixture as the favourites, with home advantage and their current position dictating the odds.

In Arsenal, they face a side who have struggled since the turn of the year, it appears they will finally finish above them.

Tottenham will be looking to register their first win against Arsenal since the 2014/15 season, when they won 2-1.

white_hart_lane_jan_2008_2Gunners Need Wins

The Gunners come into this match in mixed form, with Arsenal beating Leicester 1-0 at the Emirates in midweek.

Both sides struggled to break the deadlock, with Riyad Mahrez and Theo Walcott going close in the first half.

Robert Huth (86) scored an unfortunate own goal late on, meaning that Arsenal secured a much-needed three points.

Nacho Monreal was the unlikely source yet again, with his shot deflecting off Huth and past Schmeichel.

Arsenal dominated possession, with the Gunners enjoying 70% of the ball, they only enjoyed two more shots on target though.

Ultimately it means that Arsenal maintain their pursuit of the top four, while Leicester remains in 15th place.

Gunners Need Maximum Points

The Gunners now desperately need to register six wins in the league, with a top four finish drifting away from them.

Their only blemish in the last six matches has been the defeat to Palace, but a defeat against Spurs could be catastrophic.

They will need maximum wins as they are competing against Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool for a top four spot.

Gunners Favourites

Arsenal come into this match as the underdogs, despite their good form but a defeat here would be a new low for Wenger.

Wenger's men will be looking to finish the season in style, in truth they will need maximum wins to have any chance of finishing fourth.

Arsenal will be looking to draw on their excellent overall record against Tottenham, they have won 68, drawn 47 and lost 54 of 166 meetings.

Arsenal are 14/5 with Alexis Sanchez at 11/2 to open the scoring.

 

Middlesbrough vs Manchester City – Sunday 30th April 2017 – 14:05

FBL-ENG-PR-MAN CITY-MIDDLESBROUGHMiddlesbrough are 17/2 with Alvaro Negredo at 8/1 to score first.

Middlesbrough welcome Manchester City to the Riverside Stadium, with huge stakes for both sides at opposite ends of the table.

Boro come into this match in poor form, despite winning their last match 1-0 against Sunderland.

It was the battle of the bottom two sides, with Middlesbrough without a win in 2017 and Sunderland struggling all season.

The match was decided by just a single goal, with Martin de Roon's stunning strike (8), all but consigning Sunderland to the drop.

Sunderland had the better of all the stats except the one that counts, with more possession, more shots on and off target.

It was an excellent result for Middlesbrough, who have now registered their first win of 2017.

Certainties For The Drop

Boro have struggled since the turn of the year, but with a six point gap and four games remaining time is running out.

They have lost three of their last six matches, picking up five points from a possible 18 available.

Middlesbrough are looking like certainties for the drop, with rivals Hull and Swansea on excellent runs.

They have scored just four goals in their last six games, conceding 10 goals during that time.

Boro Underdogs

Middlesbrough come into this match as underdogs, despite enjoying home advantage.

Boro will be looking to register back to back wins, they will need four wins to have any chance of avoiding the drop.

Middlesbrough will be looking to draw on the result at the Etihad, which saw them hold City to a 1-1 draw.

Riverside Boro

Derby Stalemate

Guardiola's side come into this match on the back of a 0-0 draw against Manchester United.

It was another frustrating result for both sides, who have done nothing to bolster their Champions League credentials.

In the 174th meeting between the sides, neither side offered anything in terms of action or going forward.

City dominated all of the statistics, with more possession (69%), more shots (19) and more shots on target (6).

The only flashpoint of the game came late in the game, with Marouane Fellaini sent off after a heated altercation with Aguero (84).

Consistency Needed

Manchester City have been in mixed form of late, with two of every result in their last six matches.

Guardiola's men have one primary aim this season, which is to finish in the top four, anything else will be a failure.

Manchester City remain in fourth place in the league, a win will move them above Liverpool into third place.

Same Again For Pep

The match against Middlesbrough sees Manchester City emerge as favourites, with City's pedigree informing the bookmakers.

A win will mean they will have registered their 20th win of the season, with just five games remaining they will need maximum points.

Pep will be looking for City to register their 44th win against Middlesbrough, and their second this season.

Man City are 30/100 with Sergio Aguero at 5/2 to open the scoring.

 

Betting Tips

Tip 1 – Kane to score first @ 7/2 and 2-2 draw @ 11/1

Tip 2 – Jesus to score first @ 11/4 and Manchester City to win 3-1 @ 9/1

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