All eyes will be cast towards north London on Sunday for a derby that could have significant implications in the tussle for the Premier League title and the hunt for a top-four finish.
Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League will be just two points if Manchester City beat Manchester United on Saturday, while victory for Erik ten Hag's side would put them five ahead of Spurs in the quest for Champions League football.
Having so much at stake is nothing new for clashes between Arsenal and Spurs, with a meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last May being decisive in the two sides' battle to clinch fourth spot, where a 3-0 win for the hosts saw the Gunners miss the chance to secure a return to Europe's elite club competition.
Arsenal then lost to Newcastle United and saw Spurs leapfrog them to secure a top-four spot on the final day of the season, but Mikel Arteta's side have responded superbly.
Gunning for glory
Arsenal's pursuit of a first league title since 2003-04 has caught many by surprise this season, as has Tottenham's inability to kick on having beaten their arch-rivals to Champions League football last term.
Since that loss to Spurs in May, Arsenal have won 15 of their 19 Premier League matches, picking up 47 points out of a possible 57, with losses coming in the aforementioned trip to Newcastle last season and at Old Trafford against United in September.
Spurs, meanwhile, have won 12 of 20 Premier League fixtures since the win against Arsenal, picking up 39 points from a possible 60 – six of which came in back-to-back victories to finish the 2021-22 season.
In attack, the two great rivals boast a similar record, with Arsenal scoring 45 goals in 19 matches and Spurs finding the net on 43 occasions, having played a game more, though five came in a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich City on the final day of last season.
Defence is where Arsenal have shown the biggest improvement, conceding 17 goals in 19 matches – just 14 of which have been this season – while Spurs have conceded 25 goals in the same period,
Those improvements for Arsenal have put them 15 points better off than they were at the same stage last season, while Spurs have exactly the same points total as they did at the halfway mark last year.
Kane leading the way as Arsenal come of age
Unsurprisingly, England captain Harry Kane has the best goalscoring record since the two sides met at the back end of last season, scoring 17 goals in 20 games – 15 of which have come this season, only Erling Haaland (21) having more.
A lack of goals from alternative sources has been an issue, however, with Son Heung-min scoring six in the Premier League since May 13, 2022, and Richarlison yet to find the net for Spurs in his 10 Premier League appearances.
Arsenal's top-scorer in the same period is Gabriel Martinelli (eight goals in 19 appearances), though Bukayo Saka is closely behind with six and Eddie Nketiah's fine run since stepping up to replace the injured Gabriel Jesus leaves him with three goals in 17 appearances, only five of which have been as a starter.
Saka (seven) and Martinelli (three) both have more assists than Kane, Richarlison and Son (two), though the England captain's tally of goals gives him the best minutes per goal/assist average of 105 minutes, with Arsenal's best being Nketiah (189 minutes).
Nketiah (17 per cent), Saka and Martinelli (both 15 per cent) have been similarly efficient in front of goal, while Kane's 21.8 per cent shot conversion rate is significantly higher than Son (11.5 per cent).
The fairly even spread of Arsenal's attacking options displays the shared responsibility that Arteta's side have in the final third, whereas Kane continues to carry his team-mates.
Kane stands as the highest-scoring player of all-time in the north London derby with 14 goals, scoring in all but one of his eight home Premier League games against the Gunners as he stands one away from matching Jimmy Greaves' all-time record for the club of 266.
Fans detained by Czech police after West Ham supporters are attacked in Prague
Czech police have detained several people following a clash between West Ham and Fiorentina fans ahead of the Europa Conference League final in Prague on Wednesday.
The force said Italian fans attacked West Ham fans in a bar in the country’s capital, with three people being left injured as a result.
It was also confirmed a police officer had been attacked during the incident.
Following the clash, 16 people were detained as police “restricted the personal freedom” of those suspected to be involved.
A translation of a Czech police tweet said: “Italy fans attacked West Ham fans in a bar in Rytirska Street, injuring three. One policeman was also attacked. We have restricted the personal freedom of 16 people and we are currently investigating the whole incident.”
Outside the Tek’ila Tek’ila bar in the city centre, a burnt-out chair and broken glass were seen littered across the ground.
One West Ham fan, who did not want to be named, said “a large group” of Italian fans attacked the bar.
“About eight Italians walked past, swinging bands and chains,” he said.
“Five minutes later there was a big group that come down the road and attacked us.”
The man said five West Ham fans were injured.
He said: “Three of our mates (were injured), out of all of this lot there were five. Three of them were our mates. They’ve gone to hospital.”
He added that one of his friends was “quite badly” injured with a “massive cut” on his head.
Videos were also shared on social media appearing to show people throwing chairs at each other in Prague on Wednesday.
Sheffield United release Billy Sharp after promotion to Premier League
Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp will not get the chance to represent his boyhood club in the Premier League again next season after being released.
The 37-year-old, who came through the youth ranks at Bramall Lane, will end his third spell at the club at the conclusion of his current contract, departing having made 377 appearances and scored 129 goals.
He did play 45 times for the Blades last season as they won promotion from the Championship and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but boss Paul Heckingbottom does not think he is worth a new deal in the top flight.
Jack O’Connell and Enda Stevens are also released and will depart the club having played their parts in promotions over the years.
The Blades have exercised the options on contracts for Oliver Norwood, Oliver McBurnie, Wes Foderingham and Ismaila Coulibaly to keep them at the club while negotiations over new deals for John Fleck, Jack Robinson and Ben Osborn are ongoing.
Man City keeper Ederson will not opt for safe option in Champions League final
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will not change the way he plays for a safer option in the Champions League final.
The Brazil international’s ability with the ball at his feet means he has a key part to play when it comes to the team playing out from the back but when opposition teams press high that style can sometimes lead to greater risk.
But even in a one-off game, where a single mistake can decide the outcome of an entire season’s work, Ederson has no plans to play the percentages against Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday.
“We need to keep playing in the same way that we have been. We can’t change that just because we’re playing in a final,” he said.
“We have to have the personality to play, to have the ball at our feet, to find passes. Of course, making mistakes is part of being a goalkeeper, defender, the whole team.
“We’re all able to make a mistake, whether it comes in the first game of the season or the last, but we have to keep the same personality to play.”
Part of that personality is an ability to remain calm under pressure and not let setbacks derail the game-plan.
Ederson, who finished joint sixth in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Glove – seven behind Manchester United keeper David De Gea’s 17 clean sheets, feels the experience he has gained has given him the tools to cope with every eventuality.
“I think any City keeper needs to be calm, to play with personality,” added Ederson, who at the request of his daughter dyed his hair blue following City’s successful Premier League defence and will do so again if they beat Inter.
View this post on Instagram“There are a lot of teams that try to pressure us, so you need to be calm, get the ball under control and have the vision to find the right pass.
“I remember a game against Tottenham where I misplaced a pass and it led to a goal. I said to my team-mates after ‘You can still pass to me’, because errors are part of the process.
“Errors help us to grow, we learn a lot from mistakes. I mainly learn from errors. You can learn a lot more from making a mistake than you can from doing things right or from winning.
“So I always try to keep calm, to pass this calmness onto my team-mates as well, so that they know that they can play the ball to me and that I’m calm enough to make the right decision.”
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