As Tottenham and Arsenal prepare to face each other once more, we take a look back at the long history of this fixture.
Both sides have plenty to play for on Sunday, aside from bragging rights, of course. For Spurs, it’s the chance to pull away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Arsenal are pushing for the league title and need to get back to winning ways.
Form goes out of the window when it comes to the North London Derby, though. It’s all about who will want it more on the day. But, will history play a part?
If so, Tottenham’s recent record against Arsenal will need to be fixed, otherwise we could well see the Gunners add to their already impressive tally of wins against their North London rivals.
Arsenal have dominated Tottenham over the years
This fixture goes all the way back to 1896, and there have been 212 meetings between the two teams since then (14 of which came when Arsenal were referred to as Woolwich Arsenal).
Of those, Arsenal have won 90, while Spurs only have 67 wins. There have been 55 draws between the two sides over the years. That means the Gunners have won 42.45% of the games compared to just 31.60% for the Lilywhites.
In the Premier League, Arsenal have played Tottenham 67 times prior to Sunday’s game. Again, it’s the Gunners who dominate, with 28 wins to 15, and 24 draws.
Igor Tudor says he will go out and attack Arsenal this weekend, which has already earned him the respect of the Tottenham fans. If his plan works, he will be adored in N17, that’s for sure.
The North London Derby often has lots of goals
Over the course of this 130-year rivalry, fans have witnessed a whopping 575 goals. Across the 212 meetings, that’s an average of 2.71 goals per game. Unfortunately, it’s Arsenal who have scored the lion’s share of those goals, with 310 to Tottenham’s 265.
In the 67 Premier League meetings between Tottenham and Arsenal, we have seen 195 goals. That’s an average of 2.91 goals per game.
The highest-scoring game between the two sides was a 5-4 win for Arsenal at White Hart Lane back in 2004. The biggest win for either side was a 6-0 win for Arsenal in 1935, while Tottenham’s biggest win over the Gunners was a 5-0 victory all the way back in 1901 (when Arsenal were still called Woolwich). They matched that result again in 1911 and 1983.
It’s a game that also has a lot of tension and discipline problems, it would seem. During the Premier League era, there have been 16 red cards between Spurs and Arsenal, with eight for each side.
Harry Kane is the king of the North London Derby
Thankfully, there is one bit of pride Spurs fans can hold onto dearly, and that’s the fact that Harry Kane is the top scorer in the North London Derby.
His 14 goals in this fixture put him top of the pile, while Spurs legend Bobby Smith has ten. So, too, does Emmanuel Adebayor, who played for both teams.
Beyond that, Heung-min Son has nine goals in this fixture, and Robert Pires has eight for Arsenal.