Arsenal vs Tottenham Preview: Leaders vs Road Specialists – The Arsenal vs Tottenham Preview writes itself this season. On Sunday, November 23, 2025, the 198th North London derby brings together the Premier League leaders and the division’s best away team in a fixture that almost never does “calm”.
Arsenal arrive on top of the table, unbeaten in Europe and with 10 wins from their last 13 league matches either side of the summer. They have dropped points only once in the Champions League league phase and haven’t conceded a goal there. Domestically, they’ve let in just five goals in 11 Premier League games, a defensive record that belongs in title conversations.
Tottenham, by contrast, sit fifth, riding an unbeaten away record in the league and a reputation as the Premier League’s most efficient attack: 19 goals from only 107 shots, a staggering 17.8% conversion rate – higher than any team has ever sustained over a full season. This Arsenal vs Tottenham Preview is about more than neighbours and noise; it’s about styles, sustainability and a derby that could tilt momentum in either direction.
Arsenal vs Tottenham – Where to Watch
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Form Guide: Arsenal’s Set-Piece Machine vs Spurs’ Away Surge
Arsenal: London’s derby specialists
Arsenal’s recent record in London derbies is extraordinary. Since the start of 2022–23 they have taken 90 points from capital clashes, 21 more than next-best Chelsea and 40 more than Spurs. They have lost only three of 39 league derbies in that period and are unbeaten in their last six North London derbies (W5 D1).
At home to Spurs the picture is even more one-sided. In 33 Premier League derbies at Arsenal, the Gunners have lost just twice; Tottenham’s last league win away in this fixture was the famous 3–2 comeback in November 2010. Since then, Arsenal are unbeaten in 14 home league derbies against Spurs (W9 D5) and have scored in every home league meeting with them in the 21st century.
This season, though, the way they’re winning feels different. Half of Arsenal’s 20 league goals have come from set pieces (excluding penalties) – 10 of 20, or 50%. In a 38-game campaign, only two teams in Premier League history have ever ended with a higher proportion of goals from dead balls, and both were classic “set-piece sides” coached by Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis. Arsenal are trying to be title challengers and set-piece specialists at the same time.
Open play is the concern. The last 10 champions have scored an average of 74% of their goals from open play and created around 11.5 open-play chances per game. Arsenal are at 40% of goals from open play and about 7.9 open-play chances per 90, far below that benchmark. It works while the set-piece avalanche continues, but it adds pressure on every corner and free-kick routine to deliver.
Tottenham: imperfect but dangerous travellers
Tottenham are living a double life. At home, they have not won in the league since the opening weekend and were booed off after a toothless 1–0 defeat to Chelsea that produced an xG of just 0.1, the lowest single-game figure in the league this season. Away, they are something else entirely.
Spurs are the only Premier League team still unbeaten on the road (W4 D1), joint-top for away points (13, level with Arsenal) and joint-top away scorers (12), while conceding a league-low three away goals. They have beaten Manchester City, West Ham, Leeds and Everton on their travels and drawn at Brighton, and they have found the net in each of their last seven away North London derbies.
Under Thomas Frank, Spurs are a statistical contradiction:
- 4th for goals scored (19)
- 18th for shots (107)
- 16th for expected goals (11.1)
- 1st for shot conversion (17.8%)
- 1st in over-performance vs xG (+7.9 goals)
That kind of hot finishing rarely lasts across a season, but in a one-off derby, it makes them extremely dangerous, particularly against an Arsenal side missing the anchor of their backline.
Team News: Gabriel’s Absence vs Spurs’ Returning Attackers
Arsenal’s defensive blow
The headline team news for Arsenal is the loss of Gabriel. Mikel Arteta has confirmed the Brazilian centre-back will be out “for weeks” with a thigh injury sustained on Brazil duty.
The numbers underline why this matters:
- Arsenal have won 65% of league games with Gabriel since December 2024 but only 33% of the nine without him.
- They concede 0.6 goals per game when he plays, compared to 1.1 in his absence.
- They drop more points from winning positions without him: nine points lost in their last nine league games without Gabriel.
Cristhian Mosquera, the Spain Under-21 captain signed from Valencia, and Piero Hincapié, on loan from Leverkusen, were recruited in the summer precisely for this scenario, but this will be the first truly elite domestic test of a Saliba-plus-new-partner axis in a Premier League setting.
Elsewhere, Arsenal’s situation is fluid. Arteta has been coy on the availability of Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke and Martin Ødegaard, insisting clarity will come after the final training session. Some could return to the squad, but the Gunners’ treatment room remains busy – they are responsible for eight of the reported 21 injuries across both squads.
Spurs’ forward reinforcements
Thomas Frank’s press conference was more upbeat. He confirmed that Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Mohammed Kudus, Randal Kolo Muani and Pape Matar Sarr are all available again, forcing “difficult decisions” in attack. The big absentee is Dominic Solanke, still out with no fixed return date.
The good news for Spurs is that the players who drive their creativity and intensity are back:
- Mohammed Kudus leads Spurs for expected assists (1.3 xA) and chances created (15) in the league and has four assists – all from open play – more than any other player in the division.
- Pape Sarr can operate as a number eight or ten in Frank’s preferred 4-2-3-1 and brings energy to their press and transition game.
However, Frank’s constant tinkering remains a theme. Across 18 games in all competitions, he has used three main formations (3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3) and 16 different attacking combinations, starting the same front line in back-to-back games only twice. In 13 games with a starting number ten, that role has produced just one goal and two assists – uninspiring output in a position that should be central to unlocking deep defences like Arsenal’s.
Tactical Battle: Controlled Chaos, Transitions and Set-Pieces
Both managers spent their press conferences trying to talk the game into something controlled and structured, and both half-admitted it will probably be anything but. Frank even described this derby as “controlled chaos” – transitions, high pressure and especially set pieces are where he believes Spurs can turn the game.
Set-pieces: Jover vs Georgson, Arsenal vs Van de Ven
If one theme dominates this Arsenal vs Tottenham Preview, it’s what happens when the ball is dead.
- Since the start of last season, Arsenal (22) and Spurs (16) are the top two Premier League teams for goals from corners.
- This season, Arsenal lead the league with eight goals from corners and the highest xG from corners (4.5), taking the most corners into the six-yard box and favouring inswingers.
- Spurs are second with six corner goals, also loading the six-yard box and whipping in inswingers; they rank near the top for corners into the danger zone and inswinging deliveries.
On the touchline, it’s a battle of set-piece masterminds with shared history. Arsenal’s Nicolas Jover and Tottenham’s Andreas Georgson both worked under Thomas Frank at Brentford before heading to bigger stages. Jover then refined his craft at Manchester City before joining Arsenal, turning them into arguably the league’s most sophisticated set-play side.
The biggest single weapon on the pitch might be Micky van de Ven. The Spurs centre-back has six goals in all competitions – second-highest among defenders in Europe’s top leagues – with three from corners and a remarkable 43% shot conversion in the Premier League. Stopping his runs and first contact in Arsenal’s box is non-negotiable for the hosts.
Arsenal, for their part, lose Gabriel’s aerial threat – he has scored 11 goals in the last two seasons and was the match-winner away at Spurs last term – but still have William Saliba, Mosquera or Hincapié, and an excellent delivery mechanism through Declan Rice.
Declan Rice: from destroyer to conductor
No Arsenal vs Tottenham Preview is complete without discussing Declan Rice. Since last season he has evolved from anchoring midfields to dictating entire games.
Compared to his early Premier League years, Rice is now:
- taking far more touches in the final third (25 per 90 vs 10 earlier in his career)
- creating nearly double the shot-creating actions (3.5 vs 1.9)
- playing almost seven passes into the opposition box per game, up from 1.6
This season he averages 84 touches per 90, third among all midfielders who start regularly. On set pieces, he’s become one of the league’s elite deliverers; only Andreas Pereira has delivered more corners that actually find a team-mate since the start of last season, and Rice leads the league in set-piece expected assists.
Against a Spurs side that thrive on chaos and transitions, Rice’s job is two-fold: control the tempo when Arsenal have the ball, and snuff out counters before they fully ignite. If he wins his duel with Spurs’ double pivot and disrupts Kudus and Sarr between the lines, Arsenal can pin their rivals back.
Spurs’ “wide boys” and transition threat
Spurs’ attacking structure under Frank leans heavily on the flanks, particularly the right.
- Mohammed Kudus has four league assists, the joint-most in the division, and leads Spurs in successful dribbles (34). Two of his assists have come directly from dribbles.
- Right-back Pedro Porro is second for chances created in the squad (13), reinforcing how much Spurs’ danger comes from the Kudus–Porro corridor.
With Arsenal likely to spend long spells camped in Spurs’ half, transitions down that side are a clear route to goal. Ben White and Bukayo Saka will have to balance their own attacking instincts with the need to protect that channel from sudden breaks.
In central areas, Spurs’ struggle to get consistent output from the number ten role means much of the creativity still originates from wider or deeper starting positions. That could help Arsenal squeeze the middle but leaves them vulnerable if they overcommit full-backs and lose the ball high.
Narrative and History: High Scores, Late Twists and Dropped Leads
The North London derby is notoriously volatile and the data backs that up.
- It is the fifth highest-scoring fixture in Premier League history with 190 goals in 66 meetings, an average of 2.9 per game.
- No league fixture has seen the team scoring first fail to win as often: on 30 occasions the opener hasn’t been enough (19 draws, 11 defeats).
- A Premier League-record 80 points have been dropped from winning positions in this match-up – 48 by Spurs, 32 by Arsenal.
- No fixture has been awarded more penalties in the Premier League era: 26 spot-kicks in 66 meetings, with 24 converted.
- Spurs have even scored four own goals in their last five league games against Arsenal and more own goals (six) against the Gunners than any other club.
Recent history is on Arsenal’s side. They have won five of the last six derbies, including the last three straight – their best run versus Spurs since the late 1980s. The most recent meeting at the Emirates ended 2–1 to Arsenal in January, when Spurs led through Son Heung-min before a Dominic Solanke own goal and Leandro Trossard turned it around just before half-time.
At the Emirates specifically, both teams have scored in each of the last seven league derbies, but only Spurs fans of a certain age can remember their side winning a league game there. The last time was that 3–2 comeback in 2010; before that you have to go back to 1993 at Highbury.
Key Players to Watch
Arsenal
- Bukayo Saka – Three goals and three assists in his last seven league appearances against Spurs. His contributions have been worth five points in the last three derbies alone, including the assist for Gabriel’s winner away last season. In a game where Arsenal may need more from open play, his 1v1 threat and combination play with White are crucial.
- Declan Rice – The control centre. His ability to recycle possession, step into higher zones and deliver from corners makes him one of the most influential players on the pitch.
- Leandro Trossard – Scorer of the winner in the last derby at the Emirates and responsible for three Premier League winners against Spurs in his career (two for Brighton, one for Arsenal). His movement between the lines and knack for finding space at the back post are tailor-made for this fixture.
- William Saliba & Cristhian Mosquera/Piero Hincapié – The new centre-back pairing must manage Spurs’ transitions and aerial threat without Gabriel. Any uncertainty here can quickly be punished by a Spurs side that doesn’t need many chances to score.
Tottenham
- Mohammed Kudus – Spurs’ creative hub with four league assists, top of the charts for successful dribbles and a serial chance-creator. His duels with Rice and Arsenal’s right-sided defenders could decide how dangerous Spurs are on the break.
- Micky van de Ven – Six goals already this season and three from corners make him the standout attacking defender in the league. He is also key to Spurs’ high line and recovery defence; any space behind Arsenal’s backline is likely to see him charging into it, with or without the ball.
- Richarlison – Fifteen goals in his last 21 Premier League starts and always a threat in the box. Though his only league goals against Arsenal came for Everton, his form under Frank has been strong and he is often the one finishing off moves that Kudus or Porro spark.
- Pedro Porro – Joint-second creator in the squad and a relentless runner down the right. If Spurs are to exploit counter-attacks and overload wide zones, Porro will be heavily involved.
Managers: Arteta’s Derby Grip vs Frank’s “Madhouse”
Mikel Arteta’s relationship with this fixture is increasingly dominant. As a manager he has faced Spurs 11 times (all in the league) and won seven of them, including five of the last six. As a player he experienced nine North London derbies and understands both the emotional and tactical rhythms of these games.
Thomas Frank, by contrast, is managing his first North London derby as Spurs boss. He has history with Arsenal – his first Premier League game in charge was a 2–0 win over them with Brentford – but since then he is winless in seven against Arteta’s side (D2 L5).
In his press conference, Frank described the derby as a “madhouse” that neutral fans will adore and admitted that both managers would probably prefer something calmer and more controllable. Yet it’s Frank whose philosophy leans more heavily into volatility: high pressing, aggressive transitions, and a deliberate embrace of “chaos” in set-piece situations.
Arteta, meanwhile, will try to impose control through structure, territory and repetition of set-piece routines, trusting that his team’s maturity in big derbies and superior record in London will eventually tell.
What’s at Stake?
For Arsenal, this derby is the start of a season-defining week: Spurs at home, Bayern Munich at the Emirates in the Champions League, then Chelsea away. Win here and they maintain a healthy cushion at the top while inflicting another psychological blow on a rival they have largely dominated in recent years.
For Spurs, the stakes are equally clear:
- A statement result away to the league leaders would validate their away form and ease the pressures surrounding Frank’s style of play.
- It would also end a 15-year wait for a league win at Arsenal, flipping a narrative that has become increasingly one-sided.
Drop points, and the questions about sustainable attacking numbers, constant rotation up front and a fragile home record will only grow louder.
Arsenal vs Tottenham Preview – Verdict
Everything points towards another chaotic, high-event derby. Arsenal’s extraordinary home and derby record, combined with their set-piece edge and the form of Saka, Rice and Trossard, make them understandable favourites. But Gabriel’s absence re-opens a door that had been firmly shut in recent months, especially against a Spurs side that are ruthless with the limited chances they create.
Expect goals, swings in momentum and set-pieces at the heart of everything. History, data and the personalities involved agree on one thing: this is unlikely to be a quiet afternoon in N5.
