Mikel Arteta told his Arsenal players that “tomorrow will be the day” to achieve the goal of returning to the Champions League by winning at the home of Arsenal rivals Tottenham. After Sunday’s victory over Leeds, Mikel Arteta said that his Arsenal players “deserved the right” to join Spurs, knowing the victory would end a five-year wait to return to the Champions League. His Arsenal players will visit Tottenham, four points clear of Tottenham in three games, knowing this win will secure a top-four finish in the Champions League. Ironically, the context is similar: both teams are battling for fourth place, and Arsenal’s victory would see Arsenal secure their Champions League spot for the first time in five years.
Fourth-placed Arsenal travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a four-point lead over Tottenham, knowing that victory means returning to the Champions League. Tottenham is looking to win a three-game winning streak at home for the first time since August 1961. Arsenal has won four league games in a row, with a 2-1 victory over Leeds United on Sunday and a 1-1 draw with Liverpool for Tottenham on Saturday. Tottenham is unbeaten in their last seven league home games against Arsenal (W5 D2), the longest streak of nine against Arsenal between 1960 and 1968.
The Gunners have not won an away match against Tottenham since 2014, and seven of their 11 defeats this season have come away. Arsenal is in control of the next UEFA Champions League qualification, and only a positive result from Tottenham in the North London derby will change that. Tottenham and Arsenal are in a fierce battle for a place in the top four in the Premier League, and their next meeting could be one of the essential derbies of recent years. Tottenham is running out of time to enter the coveted top four as they prepare to host Arsenal in a key English Premier League fixture on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham will have other ideas, and Antonio Conte knows it all, but a win will make their Champions League dreams difficult as they try to narrow their current tie with Arsenal in the last three games, A 4-point gap. By the way, the first meeting of the two managers will be one of the most important North London derbies in recent memory. Arsenal can win the spot in the Champions League, and Tottenham needs it to keep the pressure on their opponents. If Arsenal beat their opponents to finish fourth, it could be as enjoyable and memorable as Arsenal’s 1971 and 2004 wins at White Hart Lane.
