The 4-0 victory against PSV on Wednesday night in the Champions League gave Arsenal the perfect opportunity to get ready for the 194th North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur (W6, D1).
Manager Mikel Arteta referred to parts of his team’s play as “phenomenal,” following the ideal follow-up to last weekend’s 1-0 Premier League victory against Everton.
Arteta will expect more of the same as he takes control of his seventh North London Derby (W4, L3), with the Gunners unbeaten in 12 home Premier League Head to head (W8, D4), having won the past three. Tottenham’s absence from Europe this season means that his players have had less recovery time.
Both clubs have scored in each of the last five Premier League games at the Emirates (W4, D1), proving that relative form and league standings rarely matter when north London’s best teams compete.
That was especially clear before the equivalent game between these two teams two seasons ago (Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham), when Spurs were in tenth place and Arsenal was in fourteen.
Even though they are only ahead of Arsenal on goal difference (W4, D1), manager Ange Postecoglou won’t be taking anything for granted. He will be aware of better than that having participated in 11 Old Firm clashes while in charge of Celtic.
Tottenham is also unbeaten in four Premier League away games (W3, D1), a streak that was largely started after the sale of Harry Kane, who enjoyed participating in and scoring in this matchup and provided the winning goal at Arsenal the previous season.
Spurs haven’t exactly regressed since his departure, scoring in the opening 20 minutes of each of their three league away games this season (W2, D1).
Observe these players: In both of Arsenal’s most recent home games, Martin Odegaard scored, and in three of his most recent club goals, the Gunners scored first in each of those games, past Saturday, Tottenham came from behind to defeat Sheffield United 2-1 thanks in part to two goals from Dejan Kulusevski, who has scored four of his past five goals for the club.
Since the beginning of the previous campaign, Arsenal has won 16 of the home league games it started as favorites (W16, D4, L1).
Stats head to head between Arsenal and Tottenham.
For the first time since a run of five victories between 1987 and 1989 against Tottenham, Arsenal is attempting to win three straight league games.
In their 31 Premier League encounters with the Gunners, Spurs have only won twice, drawn 11 times, and lost 18 times.
Since 1990, when the two teams drew 0-0 at Highbury in the third game of the season, this is the first match that neither team has lost.
Since a goalless tie in November 1998, Arsenal has scored in 24 straight home Premier League North London derbies.
Arsenal.
It would just be the second occasion in the previous 16 seasons that Arsenal would still be unbeaten after six Premier League games.
Since a 3-0 loss against Spurs in May 2022, the Gunners have gone 14 games without a loss in Premier League London derbies, winning 11 and drawing three.
In their last 18 top-flight London derbies at the Emirates Stadium, they have only lost one, a 2-0 loss to Chelsea in August 2021.
In 27 home Premier League games, Mikel Arteta’s team has only managed to keep four clean sheets.
Arteta may emulate Terry Neill between 1977 and 1980 by becoming the second Arsenal manager to triumph in each of his first four home North London derbies.
18 goals have been scored in Bukayo Saka’s previous 18 Premier League home games with 12 goals and six assists.
With four wins and one tie from their first five games, Tottenham has had its finest league season in 58 years.
From the start of last season, Spurs went seven games without losing (W5, D2), and their first loss came at the Emirates Stadium by a score of 3-1.
For just the third time, following 1960-61 and 1965-66, the Lilywhites have scored multiple goals in each of their first five games in a top-flight season.
Tottenham is aiming for their 200th away victory in the Premier League.
Ange Postecoglou may become the first Spurs manager since Peter Shreeves, whose team triumphed at Highbury on New Year’s Day in 1985, to record an away victory in his first North London derby.
In his last 21 away Premier League games, James Maddison has contributed directly to 19 goals (10 goals, 9 assists).
