Tottenham v Arsenal: Is this the STRONGEST North London Derby ever?

It’s the strongest North London Derby for more than 50 YEARS! Arsenal are top with Spurs just a point behind… bitter rivals are both in fine form with Jesus and Richarlison raising their levels

• Arsenal host Spurs in the first North London Derby of the season on Saturday   
• The Gunners sit top of the table after a strong start with Tottenham in third  
• Mikel Arteta’s men have six wins in seven and signed Gabriel Jesus this summer
• Antonio Conte’s side are unbeaten and made six signings to bolster the squad
• However, Spurs haven’t beaten their bitter rivals at the Emirates since 2010
• Sportsmail outlines why this is one of the strongest derbies between the sides 

Light the blue touchpaper, it’s time for the North London Derby again. But this time there’s an extra layer of spice, with both sides at the top end of the table ahead of their highly anticipated clash.

Arsenal are leading the pack going into this one after a fantastic season that has seen them win six games out of seven – their only loss coming at the hands of Manchester United – while Tottenham are third and just a point behind their rivals after a so-far unbeaten campaign. 

Mikel Arteta’s men have come a long way since they were pipped to a top four spot by Spurs in May, having lost 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a crucial match, before going on to another defeat at Newcastle, a result that sealed their fate of enduring yet another season without Champions League football. 

Arsenal and Tottenham’s rivalry is at its strongest for nearly 50 years as they meet on Saturday

The Gunners will be hungry to rectify that painful loss and they have the personnel to hit Spurs where it hurts after being galvanised by Arteta this season – and with a new look side of solid signings. 

Gabriel Jesus has come in and been an instant hit – netting four goals and providing three assists in his first seven matches. He’s linked up well with a revitalised Gabriel Martinelli, while Bukayo Saka has impressed on the wing. 

Arsenal have also strengthened with the signings of Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back, midfielder Fabio Vieira  – and the returning William Saliba at centre-back feels like a new signing to provide more steel at the back for a previously shaky side.

It’s Jesus that will provide the biggest threat to Spurs after his £45m move from Man City as Arteta looks to counter the menace posed by Tottenham’s dangerous frontline of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski – and their new signing Richarlison thrown into the mix.

The Gunners will be determined to gain revenge after Spurs beat them 3-0 last time out, pipping them to a top four spot in the process

This season’s first clash should be a tasty affair, with Arsenal bolstered by the signing of Gabriel Jesus (L), while Spurs have strengthened with the purchase of Richarlison (R)

Arsenal top the table ahead of the clash, with Tottenham just a point behind in third place

The Brazilian forward – a rival to Jesus in the national team – has been a hit for Spurs since joining from Everton for £60m, scoring two and providing two assists despite being forced to compete for a starting spot, but his fiery personality and reputation as a wind-up merchant could also come into play as well. 

He infuriated Nottingham Forest by performing kick-ups during a 2-0 win at the City Ground and that kind of behaviour would certainly spice things up a bit at the Emirates. 

Richarlison joins some big personalities set to be on the pitch this Saturday lunchtime, including Granit Xhaka and Son – who have both been involved in bust-ups and altercations in previous derbies.

The Gunners have made a superb start to the campaign, winning six of their first seven games

Arsenal will be wary of underestimating Spurs, who haven’t looked like world-beaters this season with some questionable displays, yet they are still yet to taste defeat and the home side will be hoping to change that come Saturday.

Conte’s side have managed to grind out results – salvaging a last-minute point against rivals Chelsea when defeat looked inevitable – and they’re currently on a run of four wins in five, the last of which was a 6-2 demolition of Leicester.

So while it’s still early days, both sides are on song and it’s possibly the strongest both sides have been ahead of a North London Derby in the Premier League era. 

In previous years – certainly at the beginning of the top flight’s inception, Arsenal were the pace-setters and regularly challenging for the title and top four spots, while Spurs were languishing in mid-table for many years.

This fierce derby has evolved across the years but the two rivals now more capable than ever to challenge each other for a league title

It’s only in the last decade or so that Tottenham have really pushed on and forged a squad that can compete with their bitter rivals. It’s been eight years since Arsenal last finished behind Spurs – with the Gunners having struggles of their own in the post-Arsene Wenger days. 

You have to go a long way back to a time when Spurs and Arsenal were both high up the table challenging each other. The 1970-71 First Division was the last time the two rivals both finished in the top three together, with the Gunners winning the league and Spurs coming third. 

But now that Arsenal have revamped themselves under Arteta and Conte turning his players into tough challengers – we finally have two strong north London sides who could both challenge for the title this season. 

Are this Arsenal side really one that should be taken seriously? Their first five games saw them blow teams away until the first big challenge of their season saw them fall flat against a vulnerable Man United team. 

Tottenham have a miserable record at Arsenal – winning just twice away in top flight history

Mikel Arteta will hope to end the unbeaten run of Tottenham under manager Antonio Conte

They’ve beaten Leicester, Palace, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Fulham, Brentford, but this test against Spurs is the toughest they’ve faced. How will they fare when they come up against the likes of Kane, Son, Richarlison, as well as the wing-back threat posed by Ivan Perisic?

Spurs will feel confident having avoided defeat thus far, but they know this a real bogey ground for them. They haven’t won at the Emirates since 2010 – 12 years ago – and in fact, they’ve won just twice away at Arsenal in the entire Premier League era.

Indeed, in the last five fixtures at Arsenal, there have been four wins for the home side and one draw. So it doesn’t bode well for Conte’s boys. 

But this fixture is always exciting. That would be the case if it was 19th vs 20th. 

Given that a win for either side would keep or propel them to the top of the table, there is a lot at stake here and both teams know that victory would lay down a real marker for the season. 

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