One of the most anticipated clashes in the Premier League calendar is upon us once again, as Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns at the Emirates in Sunday's unmissable North London derby.
The Gunners host their arch-nemesis knowing that they will remain atop the standings no matter what transpires in the capital, whereas Spurs could drop into the bottom half of thetop-flight rankings if disaster strikes.
Match preview
Scoring goals, winning games and keeping clean sheets for fun as the autumnal evenings set in, Arsenal finally found their match in the shape of newly-promoted Sunderland just before the international break, when a former Hale End flame stopped Mikel Arteta's train in its tracks.
Not Granit Xhaka, but Daniel Ballard inspired the Black Cats toa hard-earned share of the spoilsat the Stadium of Light, breaking Arsenal's 812-minute sequence without conceding a goal before flicking on a header for Brian Brobbey to convert an astonishing late leveller.
Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard's fine second-half finishes were only sufficient for one point for the league leaders, who still hold a four-point buffer over closest rivals Manchester City, but that will reduce to one if the Sky Blues take down Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
The international break is said to come at a good time for a team who have suffered a dissatisfactory result just beforehand, but for an Arsenal side who must also meet Bayern Munich and Chelsea in a harrowing end to the month, any loss of momentum could prove devastating.
However, the Premier League leaders now welcome their bitter rivals to a ground where they have conceded just one goal in the top flight all season long - unsurprisingly the best defensive record of its kind - although Spurs' away-day specialities are well-documented too.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank on February 26, 2025
While Arsenal are aiming to win six straight Premier League home games without conceding for the first time since 2008, Tottenham visit enemy territory boasting an unrivalled away record, taking a terrific 13 points from 15 available on the road this term.
Supporters fortunate enough to make the away days frequently have more to cheer than the disgruntled home crowd, whose side were coincidentally also pegged back by a last-minute goal in a 2-2 stalemate in gameweek 11.
Matthijs de Ligt's heartbreaking header for Manchester United denied Tottenham the chance to potentially rise as high as third in the Premier League table - instead, Thomas Frank's troops reside in fifth spot, eight points adrift of their league-leading opponents this weekend.
A point against Ruben Amorim's men still represented an improvement on Spurs' atrocious 1-0 loss to Chelsea, when they generated their lowest-ever Expected Goals total on record in a Premier League match, and only five sides have a lower xG total than their 11.7 all season long.
Furthermore, North London has been red ever since Spurs' home victory against Arteta's men in 2022, as the Gunners have prevailed in five of their six battles since then and could now win four NLDs in a row for the first time in the Premier League era.
Arsenal Premier League form:
W
W
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W
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D
Arsenal form (all competitions):
W
W
W
W
W
D
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
D
W
L
W
L
D
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
D
W
L
L
W
D
Team News
Charles Watts YouTube image
Good news was expected on the Arsenal injury front this month, but Gooners instead received their worst news of the season yet, as the integral Gabriel Magalhaes could miss the remainder of 2025 with the hamstring issue he suffered while playing for Brazil.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Riccardo Calafiori is yet to return to training after leaving the Italy camp with a hip injury - despite reports claiming that he would be OK for the derby - so Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie's services may both be required on Sunday.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz (knee) are also further away from comebacks than initially thought, and Arteta refused to confirm whether Gabriel Martinelli (muscle), Viktor Gyokeres (hamstring) or Noni Madueke (knee) would be in contention for the visit of Tottenham. Gabriel Jesus (ACL) remains out despite returning to training.
Spurs have already won the injury battle, as Frank confirmed no fewer than eight fitness boosts in his pre-game press conference, including the guaranteed availability of Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani, who will have to don a protective mask following a jaw fracture.
The Dane also revealed that Mohammed Kudus, Archie Gray, Kota Takai, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin have trained with the team ahead of the derby, and the latter is on the verge of his long-awaited ACL comeback after playing a behind-closed-doors friendly over the international period.
Spurs' only guaranteed absentees for Sunday's game are Dominic Solanke (ankle), Yves Bissouma (ankle), Dejan Kulusevski (knee) and James Maddison (ACL), but this will be their first North London derby since 2014 without either Harry Kane or Son Heung-min, who have scored 27% of Tottenham's Premier League goals against Arsenal between them.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Mosquera, Hincapie; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Sarr; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Richarlison
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We say: Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Both Arsenal and Spurs' set-piece mastery will be put to the test on Sunday; no side has scored more than the Gunners' 10 dead-ball goals in the 2025-26 Premier League, while no team has conceded fewer than Tottenham's two.
So many unknowns remain thanks to Arteta's quintessentially unhelpful team news update, and it may take just the one goal to decide this North London derby.
If that is the case, Arsenal and their enviable strength in depth have our backing to claim it, as even a rejigged backline should quell a Tottenham team and their familiar build-up problems.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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