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The meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will be the first in the Premier League era at Wembley. Despite the 2-0 loss away at the Emirates in November, Spurs head into the North London derby this weekend as the favourites.
The 195th North London derby could prove to be one of the most important clashes with respect to the outcome at the end of the season. Both teams are battling it out to finish within the UEFA Champions League spots and head into the match sitting right next to each other on the Premier League table, in 5th position and 6th position respectively.
The teams are set apart by four points in the table and Spurs will be eyeing this game to extend the lead to 7 points over their arch-rivals and move into the top 4. Tottenham head into this fixture following a superior run of form when compared to Arsenal.
They are unbeaten in their last 8 Premier League games and look to be more confident after collecting 4 points against the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.
On the other hand, Arsenal have had an indecent spell. The 5-1 trumping of Everton was only one of the few bright sparks for the Gunners in the last one month and their fans should avoid getting carried away by the win despite the impressive debuts of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
On that note, here are 5 reasons why Tottenham will beat Arsenal this weekend:
#5 Chasing the top 4
Tottenham's last loss in the Premier League came against Manchester City at the Etihad. Since then, Spurs have gone an unbeaten run of 8 games in the league, scoring 20 goals and keeping 4 clean sheets. They seem to have clear goal in mind, which is qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for a third straight season.
In spite of dropping points against teams in the lower half of the table, the Argentinian gaffer's side has never lost track of the teams above them and have always stayed in the mix. The fact that they can extend the lead to 7 points above their bitter enemies will be extra motivation which will help them in getting over the finish line.
Further, Spurs have gotten acclimatized to playing in their temporary home of Wembley, where they have been able to win the big matches against Manchester United, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund across all competitions.
#4 The return of Toby Alderweireld
The return of Toby Alderweireld will be a major boost for Tottenham. The centre-back returned to action on Wednesday night in the FA Cup replay win over Newport County. He started the game for Pochettino's side and played the entire 90 minutes.
The Belgian had been out of action since picking up a hamstring injury in a 3-1 triumph over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League in November. In fact, his absence has been one of the major reasons as to why Tottenham not at a higher position in the league as they had aimed for.
He may not be rushed back immediately for the North London derby as Tottenham will look to cautiously integrate him back into Premier League action since they will need him for the rest of the season in their bid for a top-four finish.
Alderweireld's return will be a key factor in Spurs' push for success in the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup as well, as the North London side are much more defensively solid in his presence, and the Belgian had formed a good partnership with Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez before getting injured.
#3 Spurs' midfield
The midfield trio of Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen could be the deciding factor in the outcome of the game. Since becoming a guaranteed starter in the team, Son has contributed single-handedly with goals on four different occasions which has helped Spurs in collecting 10 points.
Christian Eriksen is one of the vital elements of the Spurs midfield. His chemistry with Harry Kane is one of the best in the Premier League. The Dane has created 24 goalscoring chances for the forward. Similarly, he averages 2.5 key passes and shots per game.
Dele Alli has had a mixed bag of a season. He has scored 5 goals and 7 assists in the Premier League. He averages 2.3 shots per game and also contributes with 2 key passes per game.
Alli has the characteristic of winning up free kicks for his team as he averages 2.6 fouls picked up per game, but at the same time, has the tendency of getting booked as he has already accumulated 3 yellow cards this season due to simulation.
#2 Arsenal's struggles at the back
Arsenal's weakest link undoubtedly has been their defence. They have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 8 Premier League matches. The back four and Petr Cech have been at fault for conceding the easiest of goals. There has clearly been a lack of communication and awareness among the back four.
One of the primary examples has to be from the 2-1 loss away at Bournemouth where 3 of their players converged to attack Ryan Fraser on the right flank, leaving the box empty with no cover.
Further, the resulting cross led to a goal, when Petr Cech came out to intercept the ball, subsequently failing to do so due to a lack of communication between him and Calum Chambers, allowing Callum Wilson to equalize.
Similarly, Arsenal have been on a poor run away from home. They have lost against Bournemouth and Swansea City in the league as well as an embarrassing 4-2 loss to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup in January.
However, Arsenal will also suffer from the absence of Olivier Giroud. The French striker, who departed for Chelsea on deadline day, always used to have an impact coming off the bench and had, on his own, secured plenty of points for the Gunners in his 5-and-a-half-year stint at the Emirates.
If the Gunners happen to fall behind in the game, his presence will be surely missed.
#1 Harry Kane
Harry Kane always steps up his game for the clash against Arsenal. Since his debut in the derby in 2015, Kane has gone on to score six goals against the Gunners. Notably, in his first appearance, he scored a brace which helped Tottenham between Arsenal 2-1.
Kane had initially struggled to find the goal at Wembley but recently has seemed to find his feet, having managed to accumulate 7 goals in his last 5 appearances at home, including a hattrick against Southampton.
Meanwhile, the Englishman has scored six career goals in the derby against the North London rivals. He has targetted Arsenal as one of his favourite opponents to score against which has further resulted in him winning games for his team.
Undoubtedly, if Harry Kane gets going against Arsenal this weekend, there's little Arsene Wenger and his side will be able to do to stop him.
