Arsenal-Spurs Preview: Player-by-Player Guide to the 162nd North London Derby

The following article is a preview to the upcoming North London Derby match.

The Arsenal and Tottenham community leaders talk about what they expect from one of the most exciting fixtures in the league this season.

Willie's perspective:

Spurs make the short journey to the Emirates this Saturday to take on Arsenal in the most eagerly awaited North London Derby in years, or at least since the last one. With both sides level on points and sitting third and fourth respectively, the game promises to an entertaining one.

Robbie Keane stoked the fires in the build up to the Halloween showdown when he intimated that Spurs have a better squad than the Gunners, and on paper it's easy to see where he's coming from.

Spurs' possess probably the greatest combined strike force in the Premiership, and it's hard to think of any other team in the EPL that has four international strikers on their books.

At the back, Spurs have a centre half partnership of Ledley King and Johnathan Woodgate, who on their day are as good as any defenders in the league.

In the middle, Spurs have Luca Modric, Aaron Lennon, and Wilson Palacios, who are all top class players in their positions and who would compliment any team.

But Spurs real strength is in their squad.

They boast two players for every single position, and the vast majority of them are of a very high level.

But the problem for Spurs is that games are not won on paper. And Arsenal have some of the best talent in the world in their starting XI. Players like Fabregas, Arshavin, Clichy, and van Persie spring straight to mind.

Man-to-man the starting XI's should be something like this.

GK) Mannone vs. Gomes

Gomes got off to the worst possible start as a Spurs player. He couldn't catch a cold. So much so that Harry brought Tony Parks back in as goalkeeping coach, and ever since then his form has improved dramatically.

Young Mannone is Arsenal's third choice keeper at the moment, but has kept three clean sheets in eight games. Fabianski is definitely out while Almunia seems to have lost Wenger's confidence so Vito will start.

His inexperience still shows though, and he is liable to make at least one mistake per game, so Arsenal's defenders have to be turned on all the time.

Advantage: Spurs

Full Backs) Clichy, Sagna v Corluka, Assou-Ekotto

Arsenal win this clash hands down. Their two full backs are amongst the best in Europe and Clichy is up there with the very best. For Spurs, both defenders are a little one paced and can be caught out by tricky players.

Advantage: Arsenal

Centre Halves) Gallas, Vermaelan vs King, Woodgate/Bassong.

If Woodgate partners King, Spurs have the advantage here. On their day, King and Woodgate are the best pairing in the league, but with both players being somewhat injury prone, that day doesn't happen all that often.

Vermaelan has been a revelation going forward, as has Gallas to a lesser extent, but they have struggled in certain situations this season.

Advantage: If Woodgate plays, Spurs. Otherwise Arsenal

Central Midfield) Fabregas, Song, Diaby v Palacios, Huddlestone.

This is where there is a large gulf. Fabregas is a far superior player to either of Spurs central midfielders, and Song is equally as good as Huddlestone, if not the same goal threat.

Diaby has been improving, but he is still a squad player and is only really filling in until Nasri and Denilson are back in the frame.

Palacios will have it all to do if he is to keep Fabregas quiet on Saturday, the Gunners' captain has been in inspired form so far, and is the early leader for player of the year.

Advantage: Arsenal

Wide Players) Arshavin, Eboue v Bentley, Krankjaer

The unbelievably skillful Arshavin almost signed for Spurs last year, and how they wish they had nabbed him. It might have even brought something from Pavlyuchenko...

The little Russian is a joy to watch, he can move any direction with the ball and can create something out of nothing. While Eboue is as hard-working as they get.

For Spurs, both Lennon and Modric will be badly missed, and despite being very good squad players, both Bentley and Krankjaer are less than what is needed to dominate the Gunners out wide.

Advantage: Arsenal

Forwards) Van Persie vs Crouch, Keane

Van Persie is on a run of five goals in the last five games, but he should come up against his sternest test to date in Ledley King, while Vermaelan and Gallas will hardly be relishing their impending battle with Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane.

Advantage: Spurs

For Spurs to win this game both Bentley and Krankjaer and going to have to push right up to Arsenal's fullbacks and stop them from supplying the ball into Arshavin and Fabregas, while the likes of Keane will be expected to bulk up midfield.

If Pavlyuchenko wasn't suffering such a dip in form, I would expect Harry to go for both big men up front and hit Arsenal with a series of long balls through the much better passers of Bentley and Krankjaer, while both players would then be comfortable enough to tuck inside causing Song problems.

The danger areas for Spurs are out wide; neither full back is the paciest and they are both prone to being caught with diagonal balls in behind them, which the likes of Van Persie will exploit all day.

In the end the match will be a tight affair but with Arsenal playing at home, and having won all of their last 10 games at the Emirates, you would expect them to beat an under-strength Spurs side.

The absences of Defoe, Lennon, and Modric will hit Spurs badly as their entire game plan will have to be changed, but it could work in their favour as it will make them less predictable.

Last week's results will serve as timely reminders to both managers and players not to take games for granted, so with that in mind you've got to fancy Arsenal.

Won their last 10 home games, unbeaten in their last 10 in all competitions, Spurs without their most influential players and facing late fitness tests on their best defenders...

Arsenal will start as favourites and rightfully so. But Spurs have gotten closer to beating the Gunners under Harry than at any other time in the recent past, write them off at your peril.

Eldin's perspective:

The upcoming North London Derby is one of the most anticipated at the moment, not only because it's one of the biggest rivalries in English football, but also because the two teams have the same number of points, and also each team has a mission this season.

The Gunners are determined to go for the league this season, while Spurs plan to qualify for the Champions League no matter what it takes, had this match been at the end of the season with the same scenario, there would've been an all-out war between the fans of the two teams.

Arsenal are going into the match with an almost fully fit squad, most people would expect Arsenal to win this match, but things are never simple in a derby match.

Tottenham, however, have a few of their key players missing, most notably is Luka Modric, a player who has the vision to aid and complement any team he plays in, Tottenham will miss him greatly in this fixture.

Woodgate also remains a doubt, leaving Spurs with a lot of worries before the game.

Man to man the starting XI's should be something like this.

GK) Mannone vs Gomes .

While Mannone was great in his last few games, proving to be one of the most promising young keepers in Europe, his inexperience shows at times, and while he is a greater talent than Gomes, he lacks the experience that the Spurs keeper has.

When Gomes came to Spurs, he was a bad joke, terrible in every aspect of the game, but he ended last season on a high, and he was even nominated for the goal keeper of the month in the end of last season.

If Gomes stays consistent, Arsenal will have to be clinical with the chances they make.

Advantage: Spurs

Full Backs) Clichy and Sagna vs Corluka and Assou Ekotto

This one is a no-brainer to any one who watches football, while Clichy is sometimes inconsistent, he is one of the best left backs on the planet, Sagna is one of the most consistent players in the Arsenal squad, proving to be a great right back both offensively and defensively.

The Spurs full backs aren't that great in attacking, but are quite good defensively, their main task will be to stop the wide players from penetrating and delivering a cross, a task that is gonna be quite difficult should Nasri and Arshavin both play on the flanks.

Advantage: Arsenal

Centre Halves) Gallas and Vermaelan vs King and Woodgate/Bassong

This one is harder than it looks, mainly because Gallas and Vermaelen aren't as defensive as the Spurs defenders, they tend to go and attack quite often.

And while Gallas and Vermaelen are two of the best defenders in the league, their moments of inconsistecy have cost them a few goals this season.

In fact, Arsenal have conceded more than the likes of Villa and City, something that worries me, at this point, keeping a clean sheet against Spurs would be a great bonus for the Arsenal defenders and keeper.

Tottenham on the other hand, have two quality defenders in Woodgate and King, but they are injury prone, and their partnership was mostly an on-and-off partnership in the past, Spurs need Woodgate if they are to survive the Arsenal attackers for 90 minutes.

Advantage: Arsenal, unless Woodgate partners King, then it is a draw.

Central Midfield) Fabregas, Song and Diaby vs Palacios and Huddlestone

Should Palacios stop Fabregas from making his passes, then Spurs will have a much easier task ahead of them, Song for Arsenal is improving, but gives too many unnecessary fouls, falling victim to easy dives like the penalty witnissed in the West Ham game, if he acts clumsy, Spurs will be able to deliver crosses agains a team has crosses as a weakness and a threat to them.

Diaby is very inconsistent, and at times gives away the ball too much, but when on form, he is a useful team player.

I am not quite sure whether Huddlestone will have an impact on the game or not, but I believe Arsenal will have a greater advantage in the midfield.

Advantage: Arsenal

Wide Players) Arshavin and Eboue vs Bentley and Krankjaer

I believe Arsenal have a great advantage in this area, considering how fast both players are.

Spurs will have a hard time without Modric and Lennon, knowing quite well that Arsenal have two very good players on both sides of the pitch, which will have a huge impact on the game.

That's not to say that Bentley and Krankjaer are bad players, they aren't, but they aren't Modric or Lennon either.

Advantage: Arsenal

Forwards) Van Persie vs Crouch and Keane

While Spurs have an on-form Robbie Keane and Crouch, whom I never believed in as a football player, Van Persie is by far a greater technical player, seeing how the attacking options at both sides are plenty, it's probably gonna be a game with many chances in it.

Spurs will probably use Crouch's greatest asset, his height.

Like I said, I don't believe in Crouch as a footballer, but he is one of the greatest and deadliest headers out there. If Spurs succeed in feeding Crouch with crosses, then Gallas, Vermaelen and Mannone are going to have a lot of problems for the 90 minutes of the match.

Draw between the two sides.

With Arsenal's current form, and the fact that they've wasted two valuable points against West Ham, they are determined to win this game, but this is a derby match, so no one guarantees what is the outcome of this match.

It's been over 10 years since Tottenham last beat Arsenal in the league, I'm not quite sure this is gonna be the time were they finally beat Arsenal.

However, like Willie said, right them off at your peril.