Tottenham vs Arsenal: Where Crucial North London Derby Will Be Won and Lost

• Arsenal will play Tottenham Hotspur away in their biggest game of the 2023/2024 season
• The latest North London derby is poised to decide the Premier League title race directly
• Sports Brief has compiled five key battlegrounds that will be in sharp focus in the game

Whoever coined the phrase 'games don't come any bigger than this' must have had the 195th North London derby in mind.

Derbies in themselves are always closely contested, but Arsenal's short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium will have more than bragging rights at stake.

The Gunners are chasing their first title since 2004, and after the heartbreak of last season, Mikel Arteta's side will be hoping that the stars will align for them this time round. They are a point ahead of Manchester City on the table, having played a game more.

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Where the North London will be won and lost

Ahead of the decisive clash on April 28, Sports Brief looks at where the game will be won and lost as Arteta sizes Ange Postecoglou for the second time.

1. Hatred and rivalry

Hate might be too strong a term but nothing will motivate the hosts as much as the thought of halting their rival's title hopes.

The fans will be feeling different, but Postecoglou was categorical in his pre-match remarks that they understood the consequences of the game's result.

"We understand the importance of the game. We understand to not let our biggest rival in the biggest derby for us to get on top of us," as quoted by BBC Sports.

How deep the Spurs players will be motivated will be a huge factor.

2. Rest and fatigue

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The last time Tottenham kicked a ball was on April 13 when they were thumped 4-0 by Newcastle United in an early kick-off game.

Since then, Arsenal have played four games, losing to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich before beating Wolves and Chelsea to put their title ambitions back on track.

Spurs will start this game the fresher of the two sides on account of the 15-day rest compared to Arsenal's five.

Will this be pivotal, or will they lack a competitive edge?

3. The midfield battle

Arteta's decision to break the club's record transfer fee to sign Declan Rice for £105m has been vindicated, with the Englishman setting in well. Only three players have created more big chances than Martin Odegaard this season. Thomas Partey started for the first time in the Chelsea win with the first two and excelled.

Most of what Arsenal do starts with Odegaard or Rice in the middle of the pack and it will be interesting to see how Postecoglou combats this to cut off the creative line.

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The 58-year-old has heavily rotated his midfielders this season, but whoever starts with James Maddison in the triangle will need to be on top of their game. Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentacur started the defeat at Newcastle.

4. Attack vs defense

Whoever wins the midfield battle will still need their attack in top shape to convert the chances. Arsenal suffered a bit of a lull in front of goals towards the end of last year, but after their warm weather training break in Dubai, no one has outscored them.

Spurs has majorly relied on outscoring opponents to win this season, with Guglielmo Vicario only keeping six clean sheets compared to David Raya's 14.

There will be no Harry Kane this time, but that resolute Arsenal backline will be tested by an attack that has scored 65 times this season - the sixth-best in the division - led by skipper Heung-min Son.

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It might not be a high-scoring encounter, but the possibility of both sides getting goals is high.

5. Postecoglou vs Arteta

Both managers predominantly set up their teams to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Odegaard and Maddison operating a free role.

However, there have been in-game tweaks depending on the personnel on the field. For instance, Arteta's formation will change depending on where Kai Havertz starts. This season, he has been used as a number 9, a number 10, and an auxiliary number 8.

The ability to read the game and make appropriate substitutions will also be crucial in case Plan A fails. Stats Muse reports that Arsenal has 19 goals off the bench this season - third most in the league- proof that Arteta has an all-around cavalry to call on.

With that in mind, will North London be red or white when Michael Oliver ends the contest on Sunday?

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Mikel Arteta's record in North London derbies.

Sports Brief has also reported on Mikel Arteta's record in North London derbies.

The Spaniard will face Tottenham for the ninth time as Arsenal manager, and this match is set to be his biggest yet.

He lost his first-ever derby in 2020, with Jose Mourinho engineering a comeback win.