Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

Emirates Stadium sets the stage for the 211th edition of the famous North London derby between fierce Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal’s confidence has taken back-to-back blows in the build-up to this fixture. After a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie, Mikel Arteta’s side slumped to a disturbing FA Cup elimination against 10-man Manchester United at the weekend. Both losses came at the Emirates, where the Gunners are yet to lose in the Premier League this season (W6, D3), suggesting their home fortress is collapsing. However, they’ve been ruthless against Tottenham on this ground, going unbeaten in home league H2Hs for over a decade (W8, D5). It’s also worth noting that Arsenal claimed a narrow 1-0 win in September’s reverse fixture, taking a psychological advantage ahead of this must-win clash. Indeed, after Liverpool’s draw at Nottingham Forest, the Gunners can close the gap to only four points with a win here.

Meanwhile, Tottenham needed extra time to see off fifth-tier Tamworth in the FA Cup third round last weekend (3-0). Another unconvincing performance came just days after beating Liverpool 1-0 in the EFL Cup, reigniting doubts over Ange Postecoglou’s managerial credentials. Postecoglou is fighting tooth and nail to solidify his position in the dugout after overseeing a dreadful run of three defeats from Spurs’ last four Premier League outings (D1). As a result, they enter this matchday stranded in the lower reaches, a whopping 11 points adrift of sixth-placed Manchester City. As if that’s not frustrating enough, Spurs have alternated between defeats (3) and victories (2) across their last five Premier League away matches – all of which saw the winner on the day keep a clean sheet.