Premier League leaders Arsenal will seek revenge over Tottenham Hotspur this weekend as the sides meet for the first time since a disappointing defeat for the Gunners in May.
The Emirates is set to host the ferocious battle at 12:30pm on Saturday.
The last North London derby saw the Lilywhites thoroughly enjoy a thrilling 3-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was decisive in their Champions League qualification over Arsenal.
That defeat back in May would have undoubtedly left a sour taste in the mouths of the Gunners, and it will be no surprise if we see a vindictive Arsenal side on Saturday.
The previous two North London derbies played in N7 have seen two convincing home wins for the Gunners – 3-1 in September 2021 and 2-1 against ten men in March 2021 – putting them in good stead for the weekend.
Arsenal will be hoping to make it a three-peat for the first time since 2013.
Mikel Arteta’s side currently sit top of the 2022-23 Premier League table with 18 points, having won five out of their six opening fixtures.
They’ve played some scintillating football at times and earned several plaudits by equaling their best start to a Premier League season, but are yet to face a genuinely big opponent.
This will all change on Saturday, as their visitors sit third and trail their North London opponents by a single point.
Prior to the international break, the Gunners breezed past Thomas Frank’s Brentford with a 3-0 away win with goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Viera.
However, Antonio Conte’s side will go into this game with full confidence after thrashing Leicester City 6-2 following Heung Min-Son’s 13-minute second-half hat-trick.
The South-Korean international was benched by Conte after failing to score in his first six games of the 2022/2023 Premier League campaign, but after responding with a bang should be straight back in the line-up for this meeting.
Arsenal head into the weekend with a boost as injury doubts Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Ødegaard and Kieran Tierney are set to be available.
Although, uncertainty surrounds Thomas Partey’s knee injury which led to his withdrawal from international duty this week.
The international break has also handed the visitors a huge injury blow, as Swedish forward Dejan Kulusevski is expected to miss the contest for Spurs after suffering a suspected hamstring injury against Slovenia.
Kulusevski’s potential absence poses an enormous advantage for the hosts as the winger has been a staple in Conte’s squad since his arrival in January from Juventus.
The Spurs star has 17 goal contributions in his last 25 league appearances.
No matter what teams the two sides put out, though, everything is in place for this fixture to live up to its tenacious reputation.
If history is anything to go by, then Arsenal should be coming away with a comfortable home win but Tottenham’s threat on the break will be one to watch.
You can watch the game live on BT Sport 1 at 12:30pm on Saturday, October 1.
Feature Image Credit: Gianluca Spataro.