It is North London Derby week with Arsenal set to play Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium at 12:30pm.

So far this season, Arsenal have dealt with pretty much everything put in front of them, winning every game this season aside from a loss to Manchester United, during which the Gunners were the better side.

But whilst results like the away wins against Crystal Palace and Brentford were impressive, Tottenham are the first top four rival that Arsenal will face this season.

Thus far, Spurs have gotten away with a number of lacklustre performances this season, sitting back and looking to hit teams on the counter, relying on their lethal front three. But despite the poor performances, Spurs sit 3rd in the table having racked up 17 points.

Islington Gazette: Arsenal’s Gabriel MartinelliArsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Meanwhile Arsenal have shown a combination of resilience and dominance in each of their games this season, and are coming into this game off the back of a comfortable 3-0 away win over Brentford.

We know Arsenal are likely to be the better team on derby day, but the question and the true test will be whether they can convert it into a win. Against Manchester United they fell short, and Tottenham will be looking to deploy a similar game plan on Saturday.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli need to stay high and wide to pin back the Tottenham wingbacks in their own half, restricting their attacking potential and opening up more space whilst Arsenal’s midfield gains control with their numerical advantage over Tottenham’s two central midfielders.

With Tottenham looking to play on the counter, a key battle will be William Saliba versus Son Heung-Min. Last season we saw Rob Holding lured into an early red card trying to deal with Son, but Saliba’s physical presence and composure should be better suited to deal with the winger this time around.

Islington Gazette: Arsenal's Bukayo SakaArsenal's Bukayo Saka (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Arsenal have the tools to win the game, they have the momentum, and they will have a lively home crowd on their side. Arsenal have to win the derby and take all three points, for the league table and for bragging rights.