Spotlight on... Arsenal

We face our first north London derby clash of the season on Sunday as we visit Arsenal (4.30pm kick-off).

Last campaign, we met the Gunners on three occasions. They took the spoils in the Premier League at the Emirates on 2 December, but we returned to exact our revenge just 17 days later with a 2-0 win in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. The return in the Premier League ended 1-1 at Wembley in March.

So ahead of our five-mile trip to N5, we put Arsenal under the spotlight.

Team news

Unai Emery will be without defenders Hector Bellerin (knee), Kieran Tierney (groin), Rob Holding (knee) and Dinos Mavropanos (groin) for Sunday's game, while midfielder Emile Smith Rowe (groin) remains a doubt.

Arsenal’s form

It has been a steady start to the season for Arsenal as they have picked up two wins from their first three games. Beginning with an opening weekend 1-0 victory at Newcastle, the Gunners followed up with a 2-1 home win over Burnley. Their perfect start to the season was ended last time out, however, as Liverpool won 3-1 at Anfield last weekend.

New faces

There were six new arrivals at the Emirates over the summer. The Gunners broke their transfer record with the signing of winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille while they further boosted their attacking options with the addition of 18-year-old forward Gabriel Martinelli. Midfielder Dani Ceballos arrived on loan from Real Madrid while they bolstered their defence with the signings of full-back Kieran Tierney from Celtic and centre-back David Luiz from Chelsea. Fellow central defender William Saliba also made the move to N5 but was immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the 2019/20 season.

Leader of the opposition

Unai Emery oversaw a steady first season in charge of the Gunners in 2018/19 after being chosen as the man to succeed Arsene Wenger, following the Frenchman’s decision to end his 22-year stint at the helm in N5. Having previously managed sides such as Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain - winning eight major honours across in his time at those clubs - Emery initially endured a tough start to life in north London with back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea but fortunes quickly turned as they went on a 22-game unbeaten run. A three-time winner of the Europa League, the Spaniard continued to show his knack at progressing in European competition as he led the Gunners to last season's final, where they were beaten 4-1 by Chelsea.

Last five meetings

2 March 2019 – Spurs 1-1 Arsenal – Premier League
19 December 2018 – Arsenal 0-2 Spurs – Carabao Cup quarter-final
2 December 2018 – Arsenal 4-2 Spurs – Premier League
10 February 2018 – Spurs 1-0 Arsenal – Premier League
18 November 2017 – Arsenal 2-0 Spurs – Premier League

The numbers game

2 - Arsenal have won just two of their last 10 meetings with us, with both of those triumphs coming at the Emirates in the last two seasons.

18 – No Premier League fixture has seen more penalties scored than in games between us and Arsenal, with 18 spot-kicks dispatched. Indeed, five of the last 14 goals in meetings between the teams have been penalties.

9 – Harry Kane has nine goals against the Gunners in his career – only Emmanuel Adebayor and Bobby Smith (both 10) have scored more in the derby.

1 – Arsenal have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 meetings against us in all competitions.

Played for both

Having started out as a youngster at Arsenal, David Bentley finished his career with us in N17. A winger with pinpoint accuracy in his crossing, David was known for his ability to produce the spectacular. Having also represented Norwich City, the midfielder moved from Arsenal to Blackburn Rovers permanently in 2006 before he signed for us two years later.

On his first appearance for us at White Hart Lane, he opened the scoring with a superb free-kick in a 5-0 pre-season win over Roma, but it was a certain strike in white against his former side Arsenal that he will always be remembered for - an incredible 40-yard dipper in the memorable 4-4 draw at the Emirates in October, 2008.

Loan spells followed at Birmingham City, West Ham United, FC Rostov as well as a return to Rovers before David announced his retirement in 2014.

Quick quiz on Arsenal

1. In which year did Harry Kane score his first goal for us against Arsenal? 

• 2015
• 2016
• 2017

2. Who scored our late, late equaliser against Arsenal in our 4-4 draw with the Gunners back in October, 2008?

• Jermaine Jenas
• Darren Bent
• Aaron Lennon

3. Which of the following players did not score in our Carabao Cup quarter-final 2-0 triumph over the Gunners in December, 2018?

• Harry Kane
• Dele Alli
• Heung-Min Son

4. On how many occasions have Mauricio Pochettino and Unai Emery come up against each other as managers?

• 8
• 10
• 12

5. On our way to our eighth FA Cup triumph in 1991, we defeated Arsenal 3-1 in the semi-final at Wembley, but who scored a brace for us in that game?

• Gary Lineker
• Paul Gascoigne
• Paul Allen

(Answers revealed at the bottom of the page)

Pictures from the past

Match data

Venue - Emirates Stadium.
Opposition colours - Red shirts, white shorts, white socks.
Referee - Martin Atkinson.
Weather forecast - Cloudy but sunny, 21 degrees.

Answers: 1 - 2015; 2 - Aaron Lennon; 3 - Harry Kane; 4 - 10; 5 - Gary Lineker.