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Arsenal travel to Wembley to take on Tottenham Hotspur in what promises to be an entertaining contest. The Gunners are still basking in the euphoria of their 5-1 demolition of Bournemouth midweek, having defeated Southampton on Sunday and so they will be looking to end the week on a high, by defeating their fiercest rivals on Saturday.
On the other hand, Spurs will still be licking their wounds from their defeat at top-four rivals Chelsea, where they played midweek. They also lost last weekend fixture against Burnley at Turf Moor, so this is a massive game for them.
Here is a look at three reasons why this game promises to be a very exciting contest.
#1 The North-London Derby Factor
The game between Tottenham and Arsenal is usually full of drama and nail-biting moments and this fixture promises to live up to its billing. There is usually the issue of "bragging rights" in North London as to which of the teams is superior.
The geographical proximity of both teams makes for pre-match hype. In the last couple of seasons, Tottenham have finished above The Gunners, which has resurrected the talk of who is dominant in North London.
So it is usually a feisty encounter which produces goals, red cards, and so on.
#2 Tottenham's Hotspur desperation
Tottenham are desperately in need of a win. They have lost their last two fixtures in the Premier League against Burnley and Chelsea respectively and need to redeem their image; what an opportunity they have against Arsenal in a North London derby where they will be fired up to pick all three points.
This game is also of extreme importance because of the position of both teams on the Premier League table. Tottenham are currently third on 60 points, while the Gunners are 4 points behind of 56 points. A win for Arsenal takes the Gunners within a point of Spurs while a win for Spurs would see them go seven points clear of their rivals.
This is going to be a big motivation for Spurs who also have one eye set on their Champions League game against Dortmund in Germany next week.
Bearing in mind that they have a healthy lead on the Germans ahead of the second leg, Mauricio Pochettino is unlikely to rest key players.
Yet another motivation is the fight for a top-four spot in England, either of the teams will revel in the joy of putting a dent on each other's top-four aspirations.
#3 Arsenal's willingness to avenge
Both sides have met this season, once in a league game as well as in the quarterfinals of the Carabao cup. The Gunners triumphed 4-2 in an entertaining encounter at the Emirates Stadium; however, in the Carabao cup, Spurs defeated Arsenal by two goals to nil at the Emirates Stadium to knock them out. That indeed left a sour taste in their mouth and they will be looking to avoid losing to their rivals again.
There must be revenge on the minds of Arsenal players while they take on Spurs at Wembley and this should serve as a motivation to help them win on their home turf.
