Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League action resumes following September’s international break as Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns at the Emirates Stadium in the latest edition of the fierce North London derby.

It’s been a supreme start to Arsenal’s bid to secure their first Premier League top-four finish since 2015/16, with the ‘Gunners’ welcoming the international break as the top-flight pacesetters. Except for a 3-1 defeat away to Manchester United on matchday six, Mikel Arteta’s men have won their six remaining league games via an aggregate score of 16-4, including a 3-0 thrashing of Brentford last time out. Adding to the home team’s confidence, Arteta has won both previous home meetings with Tottenham in charge of Arsenal. By extension, the ‘Gunners’ have suffered just one defeat in their last 29 Premier League home clashes against their fellow North London rivals (W17, D11), including a stunning run of 11 consecutive undefeated H2Hs at the Emirates.

On the other hand, visiting Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to dismantle rock-bottom Leicester City 6-2 on the eve of the international break to stay within touching distance of top-placed Arsenal. After guiding ‘Spurs’ back to the Champions League last season, manager Antonio Conte has seen his side go from strength to strength this term. Tottenham went into the international break as one of only two Premier League clubs yet to lose a league fixture in 2022/23 (W5, D2), showing last season’s top-four finish was no fluke. Conte has every reason for optimism as his men have netted in ten successive matches against Arsenal in all competitions, their best scoring run against the ‘Gunners’ in over 50 years! But having won just once in their last four competitive away games (D2, L1), Tottenham can ill-afford to get complacent.