Everything on... Arsenal

We play a third consecutive London derby in the Premier League when we head to the Emirates to face Arsenal on Sunday.

It’s the sixth time this season we will be facing another side from the capital and will be our toughest test yet as we aim to maintain our 100 per cent record in those fixtures.

We were beaten 2-0 in the corresponding game last season but gained revenge thanks to Harry Kane’s header at Wembley in February.

Here’s everything you need to know about our opponents this weekend...

Team news

Alexandre Lacazette and Stephan Lichtsteiner are both back in contention after missing Arsenal’s last Premier League game with respective groin and hamstring injuries. Lichtsteiner played 90 minutes on Thursday night as the Gunners beat Vorskla Poltava 3-0.

Nacho Monreal (hamstring), Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) and Stavros Mavropanos (groin) are closing in on a return to the squad but may not feature here while Danny Welbeck is out with a long-term ankle injury.

One to watch

There was much intrigue when explosive striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in January and the Gabon striker has certainly lived up to the hype so far.

The pacy forward actually started his career with Milan but never made an appearance for them, instead having four loan stints in France before permanently joining Saint-Étienne in 2011. 35 goals in 73 league games convinced Dortmund to snap him up and it was another challenge he quickly rose to.

He hit 39 then 40 goals in all competitions in his last two full seasons in Germany, winning the German Cup in the latter campaign. He had also notched 21 in 24 games last term before Arsenal broke their club record transfer fee to bring him in and he has already repaid their faith with 18 league goals in just 26 matches.

Last five meetings

10 February, 2018 – Spurs 1-0 Arsenal – Premier League
18 November, 2017 – Arsenal 2-0 Spurs – Premier League
30 April, 2017 – Spurs 2-0 Arsenal – Premier League
6 November, 2016 – Arsenal 1-1 Spurs – Premier League
5 March, 2016 – Spurs 2-2 Arsenal – Premier League

Previous clash

We were unbeaten in eight league games and had just taken four points from back-to-back fixtures against Manchester United and Liverpool when Arsenal arrived at Wembley Stadium in February.

Our impressive run of performances and results would continue as we dominated the north London derby, even if we only had Kane’s goal early in the second half to show for our superiority.

Harry had scored 10 goals in those previous eight league games and his confidence was there for all to see as he rose majestically to head in Ben Davies’ 49th-minute cross to give us the victory. It would be the first of six consecutive Premier League successes that paved the way for our third straight top-three finish.

Arsenal’s form

After losing their first two games of the season against Manchester City and Chelsea, Unai Emery’s side have embarked on an 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

They won seven Premier League games on the bounce following those two early reverses, drawing the next three, before edging past Bournemouth 2-1 last Sunday.

Four of their other victories have come in the Europa League while Brentford and Blackpool were seen off in League Cup games at the Emirates, setting up a meeting with us in the quarter-finals on 19 December. They beat Vorskla Poltava 3-0 in Kiev on Thursday night to win their Europa League group.

Magic moment

Our last north London derby at White Hart Lane was always going to be an emotional occasion and it was given added spice by the fact that victory would guarantee we finished above the Gunners.

We were on an astonishing run of 15 straight victories at The Lane and were determined to make it 17 by signing off with three points against our rivals and then Manchester United – two goals in four second-half minutes ensured we achieved the first part of that feat.

Dele Alli grabbed the opener, reacting quickest in the box after Petr Cech had kept out Christian Eriksen’s effort, and the second was not long in coming. Kane was brought down by Gabriel as he darted into the area then dusted himself off to convert from the penalty spot – making him the first player to score in five successive north London league derbies.

Played for both

William Gallas became the first player ever to appear for Chelsea, Arsenal and ourselves when Harry Redknapp signed the defender on a free transfer in August, 2010.

Equally at home as a full-back or central defender due to his pace and physicality, the Frenchman played for Caen and Marseille before joining Chelsea in 2001. He played 225 times for them, winning two Premier League titles and the League Cup before joining Arsenal in a swap deal for Ashley Cole in September, 2006.

Gallas spent four years at Arsenal before joining us and providing vital experience as we embarked on our first ever Champions League campaign. Capped 84 times by France, he would spend three seasons at White Hart Lane, making 78 appearances, before finishing his career with a campaign at Perth Glory.

What they’re saying

As he prepares for his first north London derby, new Arsenal manager Unai Emery says he’s constantly looking for his players to improve, particularly in defence.

“We’re in a process and we’re in our own way to improve,” he said. “We know we need time but at the moment I’m very happy with how (the players) are responding in training and in each match as well. For example, (on Thursday) we kept a clean sheet. Our objective every match is to improve things. It’s also about continuing our quality in attacking moments to continue scoring and being the best team at doing that in the Premier League. We also need to do better and not concede as many chances.”

On his relationship with Mauricio Pochettino, Emery added: “We meet sometimes and we’ve spoken. We have a good relationship. Every coach wants to do the best with their players, their teams. Then you want your team to have your personality and I think we can recognise Tottenham from his characteristics. His career is improving with each year and with each team, and I think now Tottenham is one of the best teams in the Premier League. They’re like Manchester City and Chelsea.”