Preview Panel - Arsenal

It's derby time, and who better to preview Sunday's clash than Gary Mabbutt, who has played in this fixture more than any other Spurs player and the Spurs and Arsenal correspondents at football.london - Alasdair Gold and Chris Wheatley.

Introducing the panel

Gary Mabbutt - Legend, captain for 11 years, UEFA Cup winner in 1984, 'Mabbsy' lifted the FA Cup at Wembley in 1991 having famously beat Arsenal in the semi-final. No-one has played more north London derbies for Spurs, and he's second on our all-time appearance list with 611 between 1982-1998.

Alasdair Gold - A well-known face in the press box, Alasdair is Tottenham Hotspur correspondent for football.london. @AlasdairGold

Chris Wheatley - Formerly with Goal and Eurosport, Chris is Chief Arsenal Reporter for football.london. @ChrisWheatley_

Gary Mabbutt

"It's always a cliché that form doesn't matter going into the north London derby... well, it doesn't. This is a one-off game, and you can separate it completely from a 'usual' match. It's always meant so much. I've been lucky enough to play in more of these derbies than any other Spurs player, and sometimes we've been outstanding, and you remember those wins, and the losses! We beat them in that famous semi-final in 1991 when they were going for the double. They beat us in the League Cup semi-final in 1987, when we really had them on the rack. I'm always wary going into derby games. Anything can happen. Everything always seems to be turned upside-down...

"One thing for certain, these are fantastic games, and going into this one, I'm optimistic we have the quality, the belief, the strength of mind and desire to have a sustained challenge this season. I believe the game on Sunday will be really exciting and we go into it in a position where we've showed our capabilities and the squad we've put together now has really fallen into place, with strength all over the pitch. I also believe Arsenal have weaknesses defensively and if we can get a goal in front, they will have to come out and we can exploit that. Looking at the bigger picture, I'm seeing a lot of positives. I think we have a great opportunity this season."

Alasdair Gold

"What better day for fans to return to the stadium than for north London derby day? It's a match that's crying out for a crowd and that first ever game between the two rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in July was lacking that magic and thrum of the crowd. That most of the 2,000 supporters will be in that looming South Stand, built specifically for the acoustics, will ensure the roar of few will sound like many to spur on the home side. It also wouldn't be a north London derby if there wasn't some doubt over the availability of Harry Kane and Arsenal fans understandably fear him, but for me this match is all about Tanguy Ndombele. The young French midfielder is yet to take to the pitch against the Gunners and if he continues on the path he's on right now Arsenal won't know what's hit them. The 23-year-old has been one of the most exciting players in the Premier League this season and when he's played well, so have Tottenham. When he sets off on one of those dizzying, low centre of gravity spins and runs, it's near impossible to stop him and if you use too many men in attempting to, you leave space for his team-mates to profit.

"The old cliché that form goes out the window in a derby is never truer than for this clash, even if on paper it's a match-up between the league's best defence and an Arsenal attack that surprisingly has the fourth lowest goal tally in the division. Spurs have scored more than double the Gunners' total and with Kane expected to be fit and Heung-Min Son firing on all cylinders this season, the visitors' defence will be tested. There's also a certain Gareth Bale. The Welshman is yet to hit his stride as he builds up his fitness and this would be one hell of a game to show that he's truly back. The 31-year-old certainly knows how to score in a north London derby. Nothing is certain in these matches and Arsenal would love nothing more than to knock Tottenham off their lofty perch, but in Jose Mourinho, Spurs have a manager who thrives when the glare of the spotlight is at its brightest - and on Sunday everyone will be watching."

Chris Wheatley

"I think it's the most difficult test of the season for Arsenal so far and they go into Sunday's game off the back of their worst start to a Premier League campaign since 1981. Perhaps it's a cliché, but these derby games have the potential to produce surprise results and Mikel Arteta's side certainly did that towards the end of last season, beating Manchester City and Chelsea to win a record 14th FA Cup. When Arsenal and Spurs faced each other in July it was a relatively tight encounter, with Arsenal dominating possession but struggling to finish their chances. In the space of a few months, it's the creating chances part which has been hard to come by. They've lost five of their last eight league games and Arteta recently said in an interview that he wants to move to a 4-3-3 formation, admitting that he doesn't have the right players to fit into that system.

"Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had the most shots and most created chances in the Arsenal team this season. However, he's scored just one goal in his last eight league matches and it's vital that he gets back in form to help move the team back up the table. The likely absence of Thomas Partey in midfield could see Mohamed Elneny come up against Tanguy Ndombele, which is likely to be the key battle in the game. Heung-Min Son can certainly exploit Arsenal's right hand side and if Harry Kane is passed fit you wouldn't bet against him continuing his fine goalscoring record, although the arrival of Gabriel in defence has been one of the few positives of Arsenal's season so far. The unpredictability of matches this season coupled with fatigue, injuries and the derby factor makes this an intriguing contest and Arsenal will be determined to bounce back from their dismal league form by coming away from Sunday's game with a positive result."