Arsenal vs. Tottenham: 7 Injury Storylines Ahead of North London Derby

As another North London derby looms this Sunday at the Emirates, the direction in which the two clubs are traveling could not be any different.

It has been quite some time since Tottenham have had the success that they are currently enjoying, while Arsenal are struggling more than they have in over a decade.

However, there is one thing that all clubs have in common before a match: injuries.

Here is a rundown of the injury situations that will certainly have an effect on the outcome of this latest installment of Spurs-Gunners.

Emmanuel Adebayor

The health of Emmanuel Adebayor, the Tottenham striker who used to play for Arsenal, is a big concern for Spurs.

Adebayor twisted his knee last week and has been doubtful for the clash at the Emirates.

However, the striker tweeted today, "Just finished training, really happy with the progress, knee is looking much better. Working on my fitness for Sunday."

If he were to be fit, Spurs would surely have to play him, which would add fuel to the already palpable fire of a derby.

When Adebayor played against Arsenal for the first time with Manchester City, he ran the length of the pitch in celebration.

In October, during the two clubs' first fixture of the season, Arsenal fans at White Hart Lane directed chants of "It should have been you shot in Angola" at Adebayor, referencing an incident in 2010 when the Togolese national team's bus was bombarded with gunfire in Angola (and which Adebayor survived).

Harry Redknapp and Spurs condemned the chants after the match.

Adebayor has been one of the most important players in Spurs' run this season.

In their last EPL fixtures against Newcastle, he has scored one goal and provided four assists.

It would be quite an unfortunate loss if he were to be forced to miss the match Sunday.

Rafael van der Vaart

Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart has missed the last three Tottenham matches with a calf injury.

However, he is hoping to be fit in time for the derby on Sunday.

If he were to be fit, it is likely that a starting spot would await him.

VDV has been fantastic since joining Spurs, being a creative force and scoring 24 goals in 59 appearances for the North London club.

In the first derby in October, he opened the scoring at White Hart Lane with a (somewhat controversial) strike.

Luka Modric

Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric has suddenly become a concern for Harry Redknapp's side ahead of Sunday.

The Croatian missed last week's FA Cup clash at Stevenage and has been suffering with the flu.

The importance of Modric to Spurs can best be seen through the club's actions in last summer's transfer window, where the chairman and manager fended off lucrative offers from other clubs and the Croatian's own requests to keep him at the Lane.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto

Tottenham left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto has been a staple of Spurs' squad this season.

In fact, along with Gareth Bale, Kyle Walker and Brad Friedel, he has made the most appearances for the club this season.

However, the Cameroonian has picked up a bit of a groin problem for which he reportedly underwent surgery last Monday.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has admitted "Benoit had a small operation at the start of the week so he wasn't available" for the FA Cup clash at Stevenage.

In that match, Younes Kaboul (usually a centre half) played on the left of defense in a 3-5-2 formation.

The result was that Tottenham failed to impress.

Perhaps this was an experiment by Redknapp, one he calculated that he could afford against minnows Stevenage.

However, if it is symptomatic of Redknapp's lack of trust in other players (such as Danny Rose, who has substituted at the position this season) playing left-back, it could spell trouble if Assou-Ekotto cannot play.

Either way, Tottenham will surely miss the long balls and linking play of Assou-Ekotto should the defender miss the match.

Arsenal Centre-Backs

Arsenal's injury woes this season can be summed up by one position: centre-back.

Of the two centre-backs who have made the most appearances for Arsenal this season, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, the German has picked up a long-term injury and is unavailable while the Frenchman picked up a knee injury at the San Siro that has left him doubtful.

Meanwhile, in their FA Cup loss to Sunderland on the weekend, Arsenal saw Sebastien Squillaci and the versatile Francis Coquelin limp off with injury.

That leaves only Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou (who was well below par against Milan) fit at centre-back.

If either were to get injured, Arsenal would either need to rotate Alex Song or Kieran Gibbs (who has not yet made his return from an injury in late December) into central defense.

This position is in crisis for the Gunners.

Carl Jenkinson

Now for some good news for the Gunners.

Arsenal right-back Carl Jenkinson will be available for the derby.

Earlier in the season, the 20-year-old Jenkinson was establishing himself in the Arsenal backfield, making 11 appearances before suffering a stress fracture in his back in early November.

He made a 45-minute appearance in an Arsenal reserve game very recently and is available to the Gunners for the first time since November 5.

It may be unlikely that Jenkinson will be given the full 90 minutes, but having him as an option for such an injury-ravaged defense is great news for the Gunners.

Aaron Ramsey

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey has been one of the most used players for Arsenal this season.

However, the 21-year-old midfielder looks set to miss Sunday's derby with an ankle injury.

Ramsey picked up the injury this past weekend in the Gunners' FA Cup loss to Sunderland.

The 21-year-old, who is already the captain of Wales, has been a creative force for Arsenal this season.

He will surely be missed this weekend.

(However, celebrities may want to be thankful of his absence.)