Arsenal preview with Phil Parry, BBC London

Hugely-respected commentator, presenter and a voice of football in the capital for many years, Phil Parry knows these two teams inside-out in his role at BBC Radio London and he'll describe the action again at Wembley on Saturday. A regular at Spurs and Arsenal, here are his thoughts on the Gunners ahead of the latest north London derby...

Arsenal’s form

Phil: “It’s a bit like Chelsea, they started well, then had a couple of losses and that stalled them a little but they’ve picked up again, three straight wins in the Premier League, so it looks as if they’ve rediscovered something. That’s probably not what the Spurs fans want to hear going into Saturday. However, they are still vulnerable. They’ve beaten Huddersfield, BATE, Southampton and Bournemouth in this run but the last ‘big’ teams they’ve played - United and City - they lost to. They are still finding their feet but their form has picked up again.”

Key players

Phil: “I think the signing of Lucas Torreira was a really good one. He’s a key player from an organisational and structural point of view, the work he gets through in midfield and making sure they win back possession. I thought watching him play for Uruguay in the World Cup last summer that you could see why teams were trying to get hold of him. He’s an unsung hero, a little bit like N’Golo Kante at Chelsea or even Harry Winks at Spurs. Then, of course, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, his goalscoring record is scary. Those two are key up the middle and if Torreira is having a good game he can make a difference.”

Key areas

Phil: “I was at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night so didn’t see Arsenal’s 5-1 win against Bournemouth, but I was told by someone who was there that Bournemouth still created chances. I still think with Arsenal that opponents will be given opportunities and then it’s about being clinical, the likes of Harry Kane up front, Christian Eriksen getting on the ball. That’s a key area, exploiting any vulnerabilities at the back. Arsenal have potency, pace in attack and it will also be about trying to keep them quiet. So the key battles could be both sets of attacking players taking advantage of opportunities that come their way and on the other hand, both sets of defences trying to keep potent attacks at bay. It will also be interesting to see the arm wrestle in terms of taking control of possession. That’s also important with the way both teams like to play.”

Prediction

Phil: “That’s a tough one. You just don’t know. I think it will be close, quite a few goals and when Spurs have had a performance like at Chelsea, there is usually a bounce back. I’ve just got a feeling that it will be a narrow Spurs win, in a game with goals, 2-1 or 3-2.”