Key events
Antonio Conte speaks to BT. “In England there are many, many derbies. This is an important derby, but it has to become important for the table, and not only the rivalry. We need to fight for something important in the future. I have picked the formation that is the best start to this run of 13 games.”
Fancy a stroll down Memory Lane N5? A meander along Nostalgia Avenue N17? Let Rob and Simon take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of north London.
Some pre-match reading. Plenty of time before kick-off.
Tottenham’s recent record at Arsenal is not good. Just two wins in 37, the most recent coming in 2010 when they came from two down to snatch victory at the death. Relive that match if you like with some hot retro MBM action! Son Heung-min, back in form after that quickfire hat-trick against Leicester, and with a record of four goals in his last five Premier League matches against Arsenal, is in the mood to slake Tottenham’s 12-year thirst. “It’s tough to listen to this!” he tells BT Sport. “Even when I was away with the national team I was hearing 12 years! It’s tough to hear. Hopefully today will change the history. Everyone has to be ready and it’s going to be a big battle.”
Mikel Arteta talks to BT Sport. “It is the strongest team we believe gives us a chance to win the game. We have managed to recover the players and hope they are in the best possible condition to play. Tottenham are a really dangerous team, we know that. But you cannot allow players to play with the handbrake. We will go in there with full courage and go for it.”
Arsenal make two changes to the starting XI named for the 3-0 victory at Brentford. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard are back from injury, so Kieran Tierney and Fabio Vieira drop to the bench. Thomas Partey has been passed fit to start.
Tottenham – who have won only two of their last 37 league matches on the patch of their arch-rivals – make three changes to the team that gubbed Leicester 6-2 a couple of weeks ago. Son Heung-min, Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal come in for Ryan Sessegnon and Davinson Sanchez, who drop to the bench, and Dejan Kulusevski, who twanged his hamstring while away with Sweden. Hugo Lloris is OK to play despite injury worries.
The teams
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus.
Subs: Tierney, Nketiah, Holding, Tomiyasu, Vieira, Sambi Lokonga, Nelson, Alencar, Turner.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic, Richarlison, Son, Kane.
Subs: Doherty, Skipp, Sanchez, Gil Salvatierra, Sessegnon, Forster, Spence, Sarr, Bissouma.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Preamble
Does the north London derby need hyping up when the top of the Premier League table looks like this?
Nope! Kick off is at 12.30pm BST. It’s on!