Arsene Wenger takes his men to White Hart Lane as Arsenal face Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday. The thrilling reverse fixture, in November, at the Emirates saw the Gunners win 5-2.

Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale is the man to watch during the north London derby as Tottenham take on Arsenal Reuters

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 4pm GMT. Live coverage starts an hour earlier and will be available on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD. Catch highlights on Match of the Day 2 on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.25pm GMT.

Overview

Spurs enter this game following a 3-2 win at West Ham United, where Andre Villas-Boas's men once again needed Welsh international Gareth Bale to rescue them - the 23-year-old scored a late winner.

Regardless, Spurs are in excellent form, having gone unbeaten in 11 league games. The sequence has lifted them above London rivals Chelsea to third in the Premier League and given them a four-point buffer over the Gunners. A win on Sunday would be a perfect statement of the club's desire for Champions League football next season.

However, the ex-Chelsea boss will need to be cautious. There is the daunting prospect of a UEFA Europa League knock-out tie against Serie A giant Inter Milan to come after Arsenal's visit. To complicate matters further, Spurs must travel to Anfield in between their encounters with Andrea Stramaccioni's side.

Arsenal also had a narrow escape last weekend, with Spain international Santi Cazorla's late goal giving Arsene Wenger a 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Aston Villa. The Gunners are unbeaten in five now and are fifth in the league. However, unless they can produce more consistent results, Wenger could be left with the prospect of only Europa League football next term. Or, worse still, no European football at all.

Like AVB, Wenger has the distraction of participation in this season's European competition to consider. However, unlike Spurs, Arsenal's trip to Bavaria, to play Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich is largely a dead rubber; Jupp Heynckes' side took a 3-1 lead after the first leg in London.

Given that they have already been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions and they cannot win the league this season, a fourth place finish is the bare minimum Wenger must achieve, to convert a bitterly disappointing season into a somewhat disappointing one.

Santi Cazorla
Reuters

Team Form

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W D W W W
  • Last Result: West Ham United 2 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W L L W W
  • Last Result: Arsenal 2 - 1 Aston Villa

Team News

Andre Villas-Boas
Andre Villas Boas will be hoping that Tottenham Hotspur could finish in top four and above their arch rivals, Arsenal. Reuters

England striker Jermain Defoe (ankle) has recovered and will likely play some role in this match, although he may have to be content with a substitute's role. Strike partner Emmanuel Adebayor is the obvious alternative option but AVB could opt to play Bale through the centre rather than the big Togolese, an ex-Arsenal player. French centre-back Younes Kaboul, Brazil midfielder Sandro (both knee) and American Clint Dempsey (calf) are unavailable.

Probable Line-Up: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto; Parker, Dembele; Lennon, Bale, Holtby; Adebayor

Wenger is missing key players for this match. French right-back Bacary Sagna (knee) is unavailable and his compatriot, the injury-prone Abou Diaby (calf) is a doubt. Also missing is left-back Kieran Gibbs (thigh). Expect Carl Jenkinson to replace Sagna and January signing Nacho Monreal to fill in for Gibbs.

Probable Line-Up: Szczesny; Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Monreal; Arteta, Wilshere; Walcott, Cazorla, Podolski; Giroud

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