It is nearly time for the second North London Derby of the season and one both teams have been waiting for, since it was rescheduled, after the original January date for the fixture. Tottenham and Arsenal are both going into the game battling for a spot inside the top four.
Mikel Arteta's side are currently occupying fourth spot, four points ahead of the Lilywhites, with three games left to play. Since Antonio Conte's arrival, Spurs have seen major improvements, both to individuals and as a team.
Tottenham's last few fixtures have produced mixed results, losing to Brighton and drawing to Brentford, before securing three points against Leicester and managing a 1-1 draw at Anfield. The Gunners have been in form, winning their last four games against Chelsea, Man United, West Ham and Leeds but a North London Derby throws any recent form out the window and is always an unpredictable clash.
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If Arsenal manage to win the game, they will secure Champions League football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, something no Spurs fan wants. The prospect of playing in the top European competition for both sides is something they desperately want.
Ahead of the match, former Lilywhites striker and Betfair Ambassador Dimitar Berbatov spoke exclusively to football.london about what Champions League football would mean to both sides. "First and foremost, for good or bad, football is business," he said.
"The big teams are there, the big players are there, the big money is there. Going there you're going to have more exposure. Big players, good players, the right players are going to want to come and play for you because they are going to have a stage where they can show how good they are. It's important for Arsenal as well.
"This game, this derby, it's always 50/50 when it starts and it's going to be interesting to watch and see who is going to outsmart who in that game."
It will be interesting to see how both teams approach the game, as an overly attacking gameplan may lead to either side being caught out if something goes wrong but too much of a defensive style won't help the goals they need to score. berbatov went on to make an admission about Arteta's tactics which could give Conte's side an advantage.
"Arsenal play only one way, the Arteta way. The same as [Pep] Guardiola - pass, pass, pass, pass. Waiting for the right space to attack and kill you with goals," he explained.
"Conte has his own way, a bit more defensive at times. A bit more direct with [Harry] Kane and Son [Heung-min]. So we're going to watch and of course, I would like to see Spurs win it."
Spurs have shown how dangerous they can be on the counter-attack and the threat their attacking trio can cause. If Arsenal play this 'Arteta way' that Berbatov mentioned, then Tottenham will hopefully be prepared to overcome that.
However, as previously mentioned, it's a North London Derby and nothing can be predicted, which Berbatov alluded to. "It starts with 50/50. It's a Derby game, anything can happen," he admitted.
The reverse tie saw Arsenal win 3-1 and it was a lacklustre display from the Lilywhites, something that needs to change in the home clash. "The desire, the willingness to win that game must be there and honestly, I hope that Spurs can win it and make it even more interesting for that top four spot," Berbatov said.
"It's a massive game for both teams. Both teams are going to have pressure on their back but if you think too much about it, you're going to start overplaying, overthinking and this can lead to mistakes where you lose the game."
It is a must win game for Tottenham and the pressure is on for them to secure three points at their home ground, to keep their hopes of playing Champions League football alive.
For more from Betfair Ambassador, Dimitar Berbatov, head to: https://betting.betfair.com/football/
