Arsenal vs. Tottenham: 5 Reasons the Gunners Will Beat Spurs on Sunday

There are a number of things that a viewer can usually count on when tuning into the north London derby.

One of them won't be Andrei Arshavin running (well, jogging might be the more appropriate term) amok on the right wing for Arsenal, with the Russian likely to be in St. Petersburg by then.

But there will be goals (22 over the course of the last five editions), tempers may well flare (trash talk is a given in the run-up to the matches), and there will be talent (a host of players who are regulars with their national team feature for both sides).

Tottenham have had Arsenal's number of late (with the most recent match between the two sides in October won by Spurs 2-1 at White Hart Lane), but there are a number of reasons why Arsenal might fancy their chances at home against their rivals on Sunday.

Here are five of them.

Arsenal Have Something to Prove

In the span of four days (Feb. 15-19), Arsenal saw any realistic chance at silverware this season evaporate like those ubiquitous flares dissolving into the Milan sky during last Wednesday's Champions League Round of 16 tie.

Like the flare, Arsenal burned brightly at the beginning, only to end up as insignificant fumes of exhaust fading into nothingness.

But enough poetic mumbo jumbo.

Arsenal were horrid against the Rossoneri (a 4-0 drubbing has all but eliminated them from Europe unless a miracle is achieved in the home leg in two weeks' time), and they were listless against Sunderland in the FA Cup fifth round (a 2-0 loss) last Saturday, a match which demanded a proper response, but only received one of listlessness.

It was a run of games that saw Arsenal came up woefully short like we've seen so often in recent years. A chance of winning the FA Cup—which had become the most realistic opportunity for silverware this season—went a'begging.

But there's no time to pout. The Gunners will have enjoyed a full week's rest before taking on third-place Tottenham, who currently sit 10 points ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal after 25 games, and will need to come out strong against the visitors.

There's no denying the boost a win against Spurs would do going into the final third of the season.

Following such a difficult start to 2012—Arsenal have won only four of their 10 matches (all competitions)—it's imperative that they end February on a bright note.

They will want to atone for the misdeeds of a week ago. Time to do it against Spurs.

The Ox Is Due to Break His Quiet Streak

After enjoying such a brilliant run of form from mid-January to early February, when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drew raves for a slew of successive performances that culminated in him notching his first two Premier League goals against Blackburn on Feb. 4, the 18-year-old has come back to earth.

Breaks in form are to be expected, and we forget sometimes just how young Oxlade-Chamberlain is.

To his credit, after being largely snuffed out by Sunderland right-back Philip Bardsley in Arsenal's 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light on Feb. 11, he was one of the few Gunners who looked up to the task in Milan, when he came on as a second-half substitute for Theo Walcott.

The kid has shown he's up for the biggest occasions—whether it be Manchester United or Milan. He must now be relishing the prospect of starting in his first north London derby.

After being held scoreless for three matches, look for Arsenal's burgeoning attacking dynamo to find the back of the net.

Robin Van Persie Will Want to Score vs. Spurs

The Dutchman has enjoyed success against Tottenham in the past. He notched a goal last April 20, and had a brace on Oct. 31, 2009 (known best as the match where Cesc scored that goal. After intercepting Tottenham's kickoff following a Van Persie strike, the Catalan captain wended his way through the entire Tottenham side before slotting home past Heurelho Gomes).

In the epic 4-4 draw at the Emirates in 2008, van Persie had a goal and two assists.

He was rendered largely mute last October, but he will be raring to make a statement following the heartbreaks against Sunderland and Milan. He's demanded nothing less than a win from his team.

That's what a captain does. He exhorts his side, and then delivers when his team needs him most.

Arsenal Will Have Their Best Back Four Ready to Go

The ITV match commentator during Milan-Arsenal made an excellent point when he noted that that match was the first time the Gunners had played with their first-choice back four since late August, when Thomas Vermaelen succumbed to a lengthy ligament knock.

The Belgian central defender was succeeded by Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs in the treatment room, and against Milan, Koscielny had to be subbed off early on because of a knee problem.

They just can't catch a break, it seems.

Yet the French defender, who's improved by leaps and bounds for Arsenal this season, has been ruled fit to play on Sunday.

There's no denying how big a boost that news is for Arsenal, whose use of a defensive high line is most effective when the back four is populated by quick, mobile defenders technically adept and able to catch opponents with the offside trap.

With Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen and Gibbs (that's how the back four should look, right to left, on Sunday) now fit and getting some games, Arsenal will benefit from the consistency.

As Sir Alex Ferguson always says that a strong team begins at the back.

Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold

Arsenal will not have forgotten the way they lost to Tottenham back in October, when a Kyle Walker strike scuppered past a bumbling Wojciech Szczesny, whose lone mistake on the day was enough to see his side slump to defeat.

The Gunners will want revenge, and will also have the added impetus of the memory of their dreadful showings against Milan and Sunderland firing whatever their motivation.

Tottenham will bear the brunt of a blend of frustration that has been steadily growing within the Arsenal camp for weeks now. Time to unleash it—and who better to do it against than Spurs?

It will be freezing on Sunday—London winters are notorious for that. What better occasion than to prove true the adage represented in this particular slide's title?