Arsenal vs Tottenham preview: North London derby sees Spurs look to capitalise on wounded Gunners side

A look ahead to the north London derby at Emirates Stadium

(Getty Images)

It’s a big game for…

Olivier Giroud: Having lost Theo Walcott to injury the Frenchman now represents Arsenal’s most potent attacking threat in front of goal. He’s managed to bang eight in this year so far but looked a little exposed against Munich, despite his goal. A strong performance from Giroud could be the key to an Arsenal win.

Best stat…

14%: The percentage of North London games that go goalless; there have only been 11 goalless draws in the last 119 years and 1 in the last 31 games. Expect goals, and lots of them.

Remember when…

When 19 year old Danny Rose scored this wonder effort on debut against the auld enemy and inspired a 2-1 victory. Even old Harry took time from (not) opening bank accounts in his dogs name to celebrate this effort. Spurs would go on to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the clubs history.

Player to watch…

Harry Kane: After shouts of second season syndrome from cynics Kane has scored five goals in his last three games including a hat-trick against Bournemouth. Only three players (Terry Dyson, Ted Drake and Alan Sunderland) have ever scored hat-tricks in the derby. In such a rich vein of form, perhaps Kane is capable of joining this list.

Past three meetings…

Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Chambers OG) Arsenal 2 (Flamini 2)
League Cup, September 2015

Tottenham Hotspur 2 (Kane 2) Arsenal 1 (Ozil)
Premier League, February 2015

Arsenal 1 (Oxlade-Chamberlain) Tottenham 1 (Chadli)
Premier League, September 2014

Form guide…

Arsenal: LWLWWW

Tottenham: WWWWDD

Vital information…

Kick off time: Sunday 8th, 16:00 GMT

TV: Live on Sky Sports 1, Highlights on BBC1 10:30pm