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Arsenal’s first game after the November international break is against Tottenham Hotspur.

The North London Derby is a historic fixture in the English football calendar, and there have been many great battles over the years.

Arsenal have been the dominant side in games against Tottenham since the two sides met for the very first time all the way back in November 1896.

Now, in the upcoming meeting at the Emirates, the Gunners could achieve a very rare feat.

Arsenal have an added incentive to beat Tottenham

Arsenal haven’t just historically been the better side against Tottenham; they have dominated Spurs in recent meetings as well.

The Gunners are unbeaten against their fierce rivals in their last six games, and they have lost just once in the last nine North London Derbies.

Mikel Arteta has managed to win each of his last three games against Tottenham, and his side are the favourites to get the three points when they meet again.

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If Arsenal go on to win that game, it will be four North London Derby wins in a row. That hasn’t happened since March 1988 – over 37 years ago.

George Graham was the manager at the time, and his side went on to make it six consecutive wins against Spurs.

Arsene Wenger had a great record against Tottenham, but even he didn’t manage to win four games in a row against them during his 22-year stay at the club.

If Arteta gets the win next Sunday, it would be the first time that a club has won four consecutive North London Derbies since the Premier League began.

How many times have Arsenal beaten Tottenham in history?

Arsenal and Tottenham have been playing against each other for nearly 130 years.

There have been some incredible games between the two sides, and the upcoming fixture could be a great one to watch as well.

Over the years, Arsenal and Tottenham have played 211 games against each other, and the Gunners have won 89 of those fixtures. Spurs have come out on top on 67 occasions.

Arsenal fans can proudly say that North London is Red – not just for now but for the foreseeable future as well.

Thierry Henry was a player who certainly relished a North London derby, and the Arsenal legend has just aimed a cheeky dig at his old rivals.

There is now just one week remaining until the first North London derby, and it could be a crucial one in the race for the Premier League title.

The Gunners find themselves four points clear at the top of the table and will be desperate to maintain that gap over Manchester City.

Ahead of next week’s clash against Tottenham, Henry has promised to be at the North London derby and has also issued a hilarious dig at the Lilywhites.

Thierry Henry aims a cheeky dig at Tottenham Hotspur

Thierry Henry has admitted the feeling was ‘weird’ when attending the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time.

The French striker was at Spurs’ stadium to watch Conor Benn fight Chris Eubank Jr, and of course, the Arsenal legend was asked about his thoughts on the new place.

Henry did agree that it was ‘very nice’, but he also said that he enjoyed going to the old White Hart Lane, where he used to ‘win a lot’.

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When asked about what it was like being at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Henry told DAZN: “Weird. I’ve never actually been to the new stadium. I used to go a lot to the old one and win a lot, but yeah, it’s nice, very nice!”

The Gunners’ all-time leading goal scorer certainly has some great memories in N17, including when Arsenal won the title at White Hart Lane in 2004.

Thierry Henry’s record in the North London derby

Henry’s record in North London derbies isn’t quite as special as many would think, as he netted five times in 11 matches.

There are five players from either side ahead of him, including Harry Kane, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robert Pires, Son Heung-min and Ian Wright.

Pires has one of the best goals per game ratios in the fixture, having netted nine times in 12 matches for the Gunners against Spurs.

All eyes will be on Eberechi Eze when Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

The England international was involved in one of the most talked-about transfers in the summer window as both North London clubs wanted him.

Spurs were actually on the verge of signing Eze, but Arsenal hijacked their deal in the 11th hour and fulfilled his dream of wearing the famous red and white.

The former Crystal Palace star will want to have an impact in his first North London Derby, but his role in the side could suddenly change.

Mikel Arteta could change Eberechi Eze’s position for Arsenal vs Tottenham

Eberechi Eze is capable of playing in multiple positions in attack.

The Englishman’s first few appearances for Arsenal came on the left wing, but he has since played as a number 10 because of Martin Odegaard’s injury.

Eze has done a decent job as the Gunners’ attacking midfielder, but there have been games in which he hasn’t been able to create much.

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With Odegaard pushing to return for the North London Derby against Tottenham, it won’t surprise us one bit if he comes straight back into the starting lineup.

To accommodate the skipper, Mikel Arteta will have to move Eze, and we think he will be pushed back to the left wing again.

The 27-year-old is no stranger to playing out wide. He has done it many times in his career for club and country over the years.

Arsenal fans even loved what they saw from Eze on the left wing when he came on and scored a screamer for England against Serbia on Thursday.

Eberechi Eze’s recent record against Tottenham is excellent

The North London Derby is the biggest game of the season for Arsenal and Tottenham fans. Only a win is an acceptable result in this fixture.

Arsenal have a great record against Spurs. They are unbeaten in their last six games and have lost just one of their last nine – that came in May 2022.

Even Eze has a fantastic recent record against Tottenham.

In his last three games against them, he has scored three goals and provided an assist at an average of a direct goal contribution every 61.5 minutes.

Arsenal have been dealt a couple of big injury blows ahead of their North London Derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners were already without the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli in their last game before the international break.

Now, Riccardo Calafiori has been sent back from international duty due to a hip injury. The issue is not deemed to be very serious, but it has kept him out of Italy’s two games. It’s unclear if he will be available for the Spurs clash.

The more serious issue is the injury to Gabriel Magalhaes. The Brazilian suffered an adductor problem against Senegal on Friday and is now a major doubt for the derby.

Mikel Arteta will have to change things now if the two defenders above are ruled out. We think using one player in a different position would be an effective solution – Jurrien Timber.

Mikel Arteta should change Jurrien Timber’s position for Arsenal vs Tottenham

If Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori are both unavailable for the clash against Tottenham, Arsenal’s left side will become weaker.

The Gunners have obvious options to replace both players.

Piero Hincapie can play in the heart of the defence, while Myles Lewis-Skelly can slot in at left-back. Both players are more than capable of doing a good job there.

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However, we think Timber should be moved to left-back instead.

That’s because Tottenham’s biggest attacking threat is Mohammed Kudus, who is expected to start on the right wing in the North London Derby next weekend.

Lewis-Skelly is very good, but the teenager hasn’t played much in the Premier League this season. Starting him against the in-form Ghanaian could backfire.

Timber, on the other hand, is in the form of his life, and he won’t have any problems dealing with Kudus or any other winger in the world.

The Dutchman has played at left-back on plenty of occasions in the past and has done well. Ben White, who is now fit again, can slot in at right-back instead of Timber.

Mikel Arteta has had success playing a right-back at left-back

In an ideal world, we’re sure that Arteta wouldn’t want to play his players out of position, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work.

Back in the 2022/23 season, Arsenal faced Liverpool in the Premier League at home, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who was the first-choice left-back then, was ruled out due to an injury.

Instead of picking Kieran Tierney, Arteta went with Takehiro Tomiyasu to play against Mohamed Salah, and the Japan international completely nullified the Liverpool superstar.

Kudus is nowhere near Salah’s level, while Timber is significantly better than Tomiyasu.

So, if the Dutchman plays as a left-back against Tottenham, we are convinced that he will deal with the Spurs winger without any trouble.

Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby right after the international break.

The Gunners will go into the game as the favourites, but it must be said that it will be a much more difficult challenge than last season.

Thomas Frank has made Spurs a better side, and former Tottenham star Sandro has liked what he has seen from his old side.

However, ahead of the North London Derby, the Brazilian has made a claim about Spurs’ two central defenders that is beyond ridiculous.

Sandro says Tottenham have the best defensive partnership in the Premier League

Tottenham’s defence has improved a lot compared to last season.

Micky van de Ven has been fit all campaign, which has been a boost, and he has looked settled whenever he has played with Cristian Romero.

Spurs fans absolutely love their two central defenders and rightly so, but Sandro has gone a bit overboard with his assessment.

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The former Tottenham midfielder has boldly claimed that Romero and Van de Ven share the best defensive partnership in the entire Premier League.

That is a laughable claim, as it has been common knowledge for over two years now that Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have formed the best defence – not just in the Premier League but Europe as well.

Sandro told Football London: “I think so, I believe that it is the best defensive partnership in the Premier League, because you can see the quality that Van de Ven has and his speed.

“Yes, he made a mistake against Chelsea, but who doesn’t make a mistake? Everybody does, and if you balance the mistakes and the good things that he does, he’s amazing.

“The leadership that Romero has, it’s unbelievable. You can see straight away the way he manages the game, the way he talks with the referees, with the midfielders. I love Romero. Proper leader.”

Arsenal’s defence compared to Tottenham’s in 2025/26

Arsenal have conceded just five goals in 17 games in all competitions this season, while Tottenham have let in 16 goals in 18 games.

Romero and Van de Ven have not played all of those games together. They have been on the pitch together 12 times this season, but Spurs have still conceded 10 goals in those fixtures.

Gabriel and Saliba, on the other hand, have started 14 games together in all competitions this season and have let in five goals.

One of those was a screamer from Dominik Szoboszlai against Liverpool – Saliba wasn’t even on the pitch when that strike went in.

The data clearly shows that Saliba and Gabriel are levels above their Tottenham counterparts and share the best defensive partnership in the Premier League.

Sandro’s comments make no sense whatsoever.

Arsenal’s first game after the November international break is the North London Derby against Tottenham.

The Gunners will go into the clash as the favourites after their brilliant start to the season. They are on top of the Premier League table, eight points and four places above their fierce local rivals.

However, form goes out of the window in a derby, and Tottenham fans will be hoping to finally get one over Mikel Arteta’s side.

Jermaine Jenas predicts Arsenal vs Tottenham North London Derby outcome

Tottenham have improved a lot compared to last season, but they are still nowhere near Arsenal’s level.

Spurs have conceded twice as many goals as the Gunners in the Premier League this term and will go into the North London Derby with just one win in their last four games in all competitions.

Arsenal dropped points in their most recent fixture as well – a 2-2 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Arteta will want his side to return to winning ways right away, and Jermaine Jenas, who once wanted to join Arsenal but ended up signing for Tottenham, is convinced that three points will go to the red side of North London.

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Speaking on the Wildcards with Jermaine Jenas and Jermaine Pennant podcast, he said: “Then you’ve got North London Derby, which I fully expect Arsenal to win, unfortunately.

“I just think, look, Spurs are better away from home at the minute, currently, and I think they could cause Arsenal a few issues. But I just don’t think they’re playing well enough.”

Tottenham’s record at the Emirates Stadium makes Arsenal firm favourites

Tottenham must hate playing against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have been the dominant team at home in North London Derby history, and their record against their neighbours in their backyard is incredible.

Spurs have won just twice in 23 visits to the Emirates. The last victory came all the way back in 2018 – in the Carabao Cup against Unai Emery’s side.

Arsenal fielded a back-four of Nacho Monreal, Granit Xhaka, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Ainsley Maitland-Niles that night.

The Brazil national team are using the Sobha Realty Training Centre over the November international break, and Arsenal fans aren’t happy.

It’s good news for Mikel Arteta that his star defender, Gabriel Magalhaes, isn’t travelling over the November international break.

Instead, Gabriel couldn’t be closer to home, training at Colney and playing at the Emirates Stadium with Brazil.

Though Arsenal fans are overjoyed that the 27-year-old doesn’t have to travel the thousands of miles that he usually would, supporters do have one problem.

Arsenal fans are furious that Tottenham striker Richarlison is training at Colney

One of Gabriel’s teammates isn’t a loved figure in N5, and that’s Tottenham striker Richarlison.

Gabriel Jesus will be watching Richarlison closely over the international break in a bid to steal his spot ahead of the World Cup, but for now, it’s Arsenal fans who have been keeping tabs on the Spurs player.

On YouTube, Hayters posted footage from a Brazil training session at Colney, and it’s fair to say Arsenal fans weren’t happy to see Richarlison using the club’s facilities.

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Below is a selection of comments underneath the video from Arsenal fans about Richarlison’s mere presence at Colney.

With the North London Derby awaiting the Gunners after the international break, it’s unsurprising that the Tottenham and Arsenal divide is generating discussion.

That being said, it’s not only Richarlison’s association with Spurs that might’ve roused supporters.

Gabriel Magalhaes’ feud with Richarlison

Despite being international teammates, Gabriel and Richarlison feel their club’s rivalry deeply.

Back in 2024, after Arsenal’s 3-2 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gabriel and Richarlison confronted each other.

Soon after, the Brazilian striker taunted the Arsenal star on social media, reposting a video of their confrontation that was captioned, ‘Brazil’s first choice striker vs Brazil’s last choice CB’.

Richarlison then apologised to Gabriel rather unauthentically, taking his petulant behaviour to Instagram.

The two players will be friends over the international break, but in the back of their minds will be the upcoming North London Derby, where any niceties will conclude.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up for the North London derby after the international break, but Thomas Frank has just issued an update which could worry Riccardo Calafiori.

The Gunners will be baying for blood, having been held to a frustrating 2-2 draw with Sunderland over the weekend.

Mikel Arteta and the team will be eager to bounce back to winning ways in the North London derby, however, they could face a Spurs team with a key player back.

Thomas Frank has issued some early injury team news ahead of the derby, and it could well be a concern for Riccardo Calafiori.

Thomas Frank expects Mohammed Kudus to be back for the North London derby

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank expects Mohammed Kudus to be available for the North London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

Kudus, who was linked with Arsenal, missed Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United over the weekend due to injury.

According to Football.London, the 24-year-old has not reported for international duty with Ghana and is set to remain in North London during the break.

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Speaking to the media ahead of the clash with Man United, Spurs’ new manager told the media: “Very confident that he (Kudus) should be available for the next one (versus Arsenal).”

The winger has been in great form for Gunners’ bitter rivals this season, and Spurs have certainly missed him whilst he’s been out.

Tottenham will now hope the former West Ham United star will be fully fit and raring to go after the international break.

Riccardo Calafiori versus Mohammed Kudus could be an interesting match-up

Calafiori is the most likely candidate to face Kudus, given that the Spurs man will start on the right-hand side for the Lilywhites.

During this campaign, Calafiori has been one of the best full-backs in Europe, but there has been one noticeable weakness which the Italian has shown.

At times, the 25-year-old has struggled with one-versus-one defending, and if there’s one player you don’t want to get into a duel with from Spurs, it’s Kudus.

The Italian defender has been superb offensively this term, but in defence, he’s been accused of being over-aggressive and over-committing early in one-versus-one situations.

No player has completed more take-ons this season in Europe’s top five leagues than the Spurs star, and this could be a concern for Calafiori.

Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha is the latest player to fall into Jamie Carragher’s bad books.

Carragher has shared some strong opinions about Arsenal this season on Sky Sports, but the Gunners aren’t the only club who have come under attack.

After the action on matchday ten, the pundit took a moment to share his dissatisfaction about Palhinha, who signed for Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window.

Though Arsenal and Tottenham are the fiercest rivals, those at the Emirates might have something to say about Carragher’s review of the midfielder.

Arsenal won’t agree with Jamie Carragher’s scathing review of Tottenham’s Joao Palhinha

Spurs’ defeat to Chelsea turned ugly as at full time, Thomas Frank was ignored by two of his players.

The full-time scenes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were to be expected, as the Lilywhites were terrible against Chelsea, with Palhinha being one of the worst on the pitch.

Carragher didn’t hold back when analysing the midfielder’s performance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, claiming that the former Fulham man is incapable of playing at this level.

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“He is not capable, I don’t think, of doing this,” Carragher says, before his criticism hit a new level.

“There’s a reason why teams in the Premier League didn’t buy him from Fulham and there’s a reason why Bayern Munich bought him and didn’t play him.”

It was staggeringly harsh criticism that even Arsenal would argue, as the Gunners wanted to sign Palhinha in the summer.

Arsenal wouldn’t agree with Carragher’s claims, as Andrea Berta had eyed the Portugal international before a deal for Christian Norgaard was agreed.

Though Arsenal were urged not to sign Palhinha, the thought was there, and the club clearly saw his quality, emphasising the inaccuracy of Carragher’s criticism.

Mikel Arteta is glad Arsenal signed Christian Norgaard

A deal for Palhinha couldn’t be struck, which led the 30-year-old to N17 and opened the door for Norgaard to sign for Arsenal.

Norgaard’s transfer to Arsenal has been celebrated, as the Gunners acquired a player with significant Premier League experience, having captained Brentford.

It’s fair to say that Mikel Arteta hasn’t looked back since signing the Dane instead of Palhinha, as the Arsenal manager praised Norgaard in a press conference.

“Exceptional,” Arteta said of Norgaard.

“I knew very clearly the role that he was going to have, exactly what he is doing.”

The way things have turned out has worked just fine for Arteta, but for Frank, the pathway to a balanced midfield is currently blocked.

North London’s Premier League representatives had contrasting afternoons on matchday ten of the season.

Tottenham lost to Chelsea to extend their winless run at home, while Arsenal made it five consecutive Premier League wins and clean sheets.

When the full-time whistle blew at Turf Moor, the away end erupted as the Arsenal squad celebrated a hard-fought win, scenes that the Gunners’ rivals could’ve only dreamt of.

There was a lot of discourse about what happened at full-time when Spurs lost to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as one of Thomas Frank’s requests was ignored by two of his players.

Contrasting scenes between Arsenal and Tottenham at full-time on matchday ten

On X, Tottenham fan Chris Cowlin shared a video of Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven ignoring Frank’s plea for the duo to thank the fans despite the defeat.

The two defenders were seen to refuse Frank’s demand, heading straight down the tunnel, clearly unhappy with the result.

Being Tottenham’s biggest rivals, Arsenal fans would’ve loved what they saw unfold in N17, even more so when reflecting on what happened at Turf Moor.

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That’s because at full-time, Mikel Merino unknowingly headed towards the tunnel without thanking the away support.

Instantly, Mikel Arteta, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes whistled to the Spaniard, changing his direction to see him join the squad in heading over to the away end.

Merino was one of the last players to say goodbye to the travelling fans, applauding their support for a lengthy amount of time after his accidental mishap.

The differences between what happened at Turf Moor and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were there for all to see, with the Gunners making their rivals look even worse without a ball in play.

Thomas Frank’s record against Mikel Arteta as the North London Derby looms

It’s not only his own players who would’ve caused Frank to feel unnerved on week ten of the season.

Arteta might’ve frightened Frank with his injury update ahead of the upcoming North London Derby, which will be played after the international break on matchday 12.

Tensions are rising at Spurs, which could heighten if the Lilywhites lose at the Emirates.

Aside from Arsenal’s form and Tottenham’s lacklustre performances, Frank will feel the nerves ahead of the derby, as his record against Arteta is far from ideal.

While at Brentford, Frank faced Arteta nine times, achieving a win rate of 11% and falling to an aggregate score of 7-14 in Arsenal’s favour.

The Gunners will naturally feel more confident heading into the derby, but when it comes to a clash as emotionally fuelled as Arsenal vs Tottenham, anything can happen.