Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will head into the first North London derby of the 2020-21 English Premier League season in contrasting form.
Spurs maintained their spot atop the league standings with a 0-0 draw away to Chelsea last weekend. Tottenham haven’t lost since an opening day defeat to Everton and boast the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just nine goals in 10 matches.
All considered, for Spurs manager Jose Mourinho a point away at Stamford Bridge was a positive result as his team now turn their attention to their fiercest rivals.
“The one thing I take from the game is that a draw here (at Stamford Bridge) normally is a positive result,” said Mourinho.
“To stay top of the league with that result is also a positive thing. The best thing I take from the game is that the dressing room is not happy, we are not happy. That for me is fantastic, it’s a complete change of mentality.
“We didn’t have many chances but how many did they have? Nobody gambled,” he added.
Arsenal suffered a fifth Premier League defeat of the season, going down 2-1 at home to Wolves on Sunday to fall to 14th spot on the log standings, eight points behind the leaders.
It was the third defeat in a row at Emirates Stadium for the Gunners who have made their worst start to a league season since the 1981-82 campaign.
With pressure mounting on Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager remains focussed on improving his team and doesn’t fear losing his job.
“It’s something that the day I decided to be a coach I knew that one day I would be sacked or leave the football club but I don’t know when that is going to happen,” Arteta told reporters.
“In this profession, I know it will happen but I never worry about it. My only concern is to get the best out of the players and give the best possible service to the club.”
He added: “We can beat anybody but we can lose as well because the margins are so minimal.
“We want to start to score more goals, obviously. The mountain is a big one to climb.”
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-1 win for Spurs. Alexandre Lacazette opened the scoring before goals from Heung-min Son and Toby Alderweireld secured all three points for the hosts.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal head-to-head statistics:
Matches played: 174
Tottenham Hotspur wins: 55
Arsenal wins: 70
Draws: 49
English Premier League fixtures, matchday 11:
Friday, 04 December
22:00 – Aston Villa vs Newcastle United
Saturday, 05 December
14:30 – Burnley vs Everton
17:00 – Manchester City vs Fulham
19:30 – West Ham United vs Manchester United
22:00 – Chelsea vs Leeds United
Sunday, 06 December
14:00 – West Brom vs Crystal Palace
16:15 – Sheffield United vs Leicester City
18:30 – Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
21:15 – Liverpool vs Wolves
Monday, 07 December
22:00 – Brighton & Hove Albion vs Southampton
