North London Derby – Arsenal Heavily Fancied to Beat Tottenham for Fourth Time in a Row

One of the most heavily anticipated fixtures in the Premier League calendar pits Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur against each other in the latest edition of the famous North London derby.

In the buildup—fuelled by predictions, fan debates and even casinos online weighing in on Arsenal’s heavy favourite status—Sunday’s showdown at the Emirates Stadium carries significant weight, with Spurs bidding to throw a spanner in the works of Arsenal’s genuine title pursuit.

The Gunners’ quest to win their first top-flight crown since 2004 suffered a setback on the eve of the November international break as they conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

Ironically, the same scoreline and a virtually identical storyline saw Tottenham drop two points against Manchester United after pulling off a stunning late comeback.

Winless in their last two league outings (D1, L1), Thomas Frank’s side must defy the odds here to stay within striking distance of the Premier League’s top four.

However, this is Arsenal’s game to lose, with the Gunners installed as heavy favourites at 1.45 to claim victory. Priced at 8.00 to slow down the Gunners’ indomitable domestic form, Spurs must put on a near-perfect performance.

Tottenham’s underdog status is, by no means, surprising, especially when factoring in their dreadful historical record against Mikel Arteta’s team at the Emirates.

One-Sided Affair

Arsenal can draw confidence from their sterling run against their long-standing rivals, having won their last three matches against Tottenham on their way to posting their longest winning streak in the North London derby in the 21st century.

Those victories form part of the Gunners’ six-game unbeaten run against Spurs (W5, D1), while it’s also worth noting that they’ve only lost one of their last 32 head-to-head home battles in the Premier League (W19, D12).

As if that’s not promising enough, Arteta’s charges have bagged 2+ goals in each of their last eight home clashes against their North London opposition, highlighting the potential to add to their 20-goal league tally this season.

However, underestimating Tottenham would be a mistake, given that each of Arsenal’s three abovementioned wins in the past two years has yielded a single-goal margin.

Frank, who admitted he would ‘embrace controlled chaos’ (via Reuters), will be keen to unsettle Arsenal, even though he had rarely done so during his tenure at Brentford (W1, D2, L5).

Now or Never

With Liverpool out of form and Manchester City still struggling for consistency, this feels like Arsenal’s best chance to halt their exhausting title drought in the Premier League.

Defensive solidity has been the backbone of Arsenal’s strong start to the season, with the Gunners keeping a clean sheet in seven of their 11 league games so far.

Man City talisman Erling Haaland remains the only visiting player to score at the Emirates this season, perhaps best underscoring the size of the task awaiting Tottenham on Sunday.

Given the Gunners’ formidable defensive record at home, it’s barely surprising that they’ve emerged victorious from four of their five league matches at the Emirates this term (D1).

It’s equally important to note that they’ve won all 13 competitive fixtures when scoring the opening goal in 2025/26, emphasising the importance of a flying start.

Still, Arteta confirmed that Arsenal will be without Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori in the pre-match conference.

Test of Character

For Tottenham, this is not a must-win clash, yet victory in the North London derby could set the tone for a sustained top-four push, injecting belief and momentum into their bid to secure Champions League football.

A gut-wrenching draw against Man Utd on the eve of the international break condemned Spurs to their third winless league outing in their last four (D1, L2).

In addition to their underwhelming league form, Frank’s men have failed to impress in recent London derbies, picking up just one win across their last six encounters against fellow cross-capital rivals (D1, L4).

However, there’s an upside. Spurs entered this round as the only Premier League side yet to lose on the road this season (W4, D1), with three of those four wins producing multi-goal margins.

Still, they’ve been notoriously slow out of the blocks, taking a half-time lead in only three of their 11 league fixtures under Frank (HT: D4, L4).

North London Derby – Arsenal Heavily Fancied to Beat Tottenham for Fourth Time in a Row