Carling Cup 22/1/2008 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal

And so these two arch rivals meet again the fourth time in 2 seasons in this Carling Cup competition and also at the same time, all in a live commentary and play by play soccer match between North London derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. The first meeting in this year's Carling Cup was the first leg of this semi final at the Emirates Stadium about two weeks ago, when plucky Spurs did well to lead for most of the game before Arsenal's Theo Walcott snatched a fortuitous equaliser near the end of the game, a goal which bounced off him unknowingly into the net and which frustrated both Spurs manager Juande Ramos and the whole team. Credit to Spurs, they played well enough to have won but instead had to settle for the draw which might help in this return leg at their own ground of White Hart Lane. But what was even more important was that it was the first time in many meetings between the two sides that Spurs was not comprehensively played off the park. Berbatov led the line well, while the defence stood their ground before a stroke of good fortune enabled the Gunners to get away with a result.



Arsenal on the other hand were in the throes of a below average run when they met Spurs in the first leg. Since then, they have slowly climbed out of a rut, strangely also at a time when they have been beset by injury problems and key players missing due to international commitment in the African Nations Cup. Over the weekend, they practically played Fulham off their own ground at Craven Cottage, and was unfortunate not to have scored more than the three goals. This was after manager Arsene Wenger had been furious the week before and berated his team for getting complacent and too big for their boots. The young Gunners team then got down to business and ate humble pie and got their reward when they seemed to play again with flair and determination. They will need more of the same in this crucial live commentary and radio broadcast Carling Cup semi final against their hated North London rival Tottenham Hotspur, as Spurs stand between them and a return date for the Carling Cup finals, which the Gunners reached last season but lost to Chelsea at the last hurdle.



It is foreseen that this Carling Cup semi final second leg soccer match will see a hotly contested and full blooded clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, and with the live commentary and TV telecast of this first major soccer match of the English soccer calendar, there should be goals aplenty forthcoming. It would be a delightful treat for soccer fans all over the world if it ends up a repeat of last season's meeting at the same stage, when Arsenal came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Spurs and went through to the final at their expense. With both teams seeming to peak at the right time, you never know what might happen. Will Spurs achieve their first derby win for god knows how many matches, or will the young Arsenal team again have the hoodoo over Spurs and ride to further glory on their coattails, which would break many Spurs fans' hearts that's for sure.