3️⃣ big questions ahead of a blockbuster north London derby | OneFootball

It’s derby day in north London. And it is massive.

Does home advantage mean the writing’s on the wall?

Tottenham have not won a Premier League game at Arsenal since 2010. Arsenal have not won a Premier League game at Tottenham since 2014.

This derby feels so even — maybe the most even in the Premier League over the last decade or so — yet it has been heavily defined by the home sides dominating.

That immediately means advantage Spurs in N17 on Sunday, following on from their defeat in N7 back in October. But will things be different this time?

Gabriel Jesus aside, Arsenal are at full strength and they are flying at the top of the table. Saturday’s Manchester derby result surely just adds to their drive heading into their own local rivalry more than it adds pressure.

And Spurs have struggled to really get going at all this season. That might all go out the window with an electric atmosphere but start slowly again and the home crowd could turn sour, making life even more difficult for the hosts.

Having already waited almost a decade, it could be a long time before Arsenal have such a good chance to win the derby away from home again.

Will it be a tale of two strikers?

Tottenham’s stuttering form has not been mirrored by Harry Kane, who delivers more in this fixture than in any other.

The England striker has netted 15 times in 18 Premier League games this season and a big piece of history awaits for him, sitting just one behind Jimmy Greaves’ record of 266 Tottenham goals.

After becoming more and more of a creator in recent campaigns, Kane has become a true penalty box striker again with his supporting cast struggling for form.

But Spurs might need more, like a return to form from Heung-min Son, for it to be enough against the league leaders.

By contrast, Arsenal are without their first choice striker but Eddie Nketiah has four goals in four games since Christmas and is surrounded by regular contributors in Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Ødegaard. The two other midfielders, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, both scored when the teams met earlier in the season.

Can Kane carry the burden alone or will his team-mates step up? Or can Nketiah put in his biggest performance for Arsenal yet when they might need it most?

Will eyes be on the officials?

After a goal was controversially allowed in one derby on Saturday, some sort of contentious decision feels inevitable again.

Of Kane’s 30 Premier League goals from the penalty spot, seven have come in north London derbies. That’s half of his goals in games between the two sides.

To add fuel to the fire, Arsenal have been charged for their players’ conduct when appealing for penalties in consecutive games. The Gunners will be keen to appeal when they want a decision but might just be wary that doing so could land them in more hot water, and maybe not just with the FA but with the referee on the day.

Antonio Conte has already put his message across to the officials, saying he thinks “it is not fair” to “intimidate or create a bad atmosphere” and that he “hates the people that try to do it.”

As if this fixture, with three red cards in the last four meetings, needed any more of a kick to it.