Tottenham V Arsenal: High Stakes in North London Derby

This Sunday, the meeting between North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane is for nothing more than three points and local bragging rights. But is that all that is at stake?

After enjoying a run of three consecutive Premier League wins, including two away from home and the destruction of Liverpool at home, many observers consider Tottenham to be the favourites. With home advantage, considerable momentum and new players that have hit the ground running, it is hard to argue with that. So it would be fair to say that, for the first time in as long as this writer can remember, Spurs are favourites to beat Arsenal.

Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey thinks not; it may actually suit Arsenal down to the ground. They have spent the last few years wilting under the pressure of their expectant followers, never more so than in the Carling Cup Final defeat against Birmingham City last season. Being the underdogs in a game of such significance may just be the tonic Arsenal's young players need to inspire them to perform. But what if it doesn't, and Spurs do justify their favourites' tag?

Factually speaking, it will put Tottenham five points ahead of their local rivals at this early stage of the Premier League season, with a game in hand. It will also send Arsenal into the international break well and truly lodged in the bottom half of the table, title hopes fading fast.

But beyond the arguably-insignificant table situation, it will add weight to the argument a lot of people have been making: that Tottenham's squad is now stronger than Arsenal's, and that they are ready to assume the crown of North London's top football club. That is a crown that Arsene Wenger will not want to relinquish, and he will not do so without a fight, if not on Sunday, then over the course of the season.

Harry Redknapp's squad, for the first time since Wenger's arrival on these shores in 1996, compares favourably to Arsenal's, following the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer. The fact that Tottenham have recruited former Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor, who Arsenal also once desperately attempted to hold on to, and Scott Parker, whom many observers believe is the player Arsenal were crying out for last season, means that, man for man, Tottenham look the stronger side.

If they can demonstrate that on Sunday with a victory, then Arsenal will almost certainly wave the Premier League title goodbye for another year, and will face a season-long struggle to retain their Champions League status of which they are so proud. But more than that, and more even than the bragging rights come Monday morning, they will have an uphill battle to retain their status as North London's number one club.