Arsenal vs. Tottenham: 5 Key Battles for the Derby at White Hart Lane

Any North London derby is an occasion worthy of bearing witness. The rivalry between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal is one of English football's most historic, and has served up countless classic matchups since they first met in the old First Division in 1909.   

In recent years Arsenal have more often than not come out as the victors in this fixture, but in eight meetings under Harry Redknapp's management, Spurs have only lost once in the league and won two of the last three encounters.

There is a real sense that, for the first time in a long while, the XI that will represent the home side at White Hart Lane on Sunday will be of higher quality than that of Arsene Wenger's side.

Of those 22 men who are expected to start this fiercely contested derby, here are five key duels that will decide who gets the local bragging rights until next they meet.

Rafael van der Vaart vs. Alex Song

Whether he plays in his regular role as a midfield enforcer or as a makeshift central defender for the second time in a week, Song is likely to be the man put on van der Vaart detail at White Hart Lane.

The Dutchman certainly made hay in his first derbies as a Tottenham player last season, scoring the equalising penalty in the 3-2 win at the Emirates and netting twice in the thrilling 3-3 draw in the return fixture.   

The loss of his main partner, Peter Crouch, to Stoke has more than been compensated with the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor—the pair linked up just three minutes into their first start together for van der Vaart to score the opening goal against Wigan.

Song will have to be wary enough to help with his general defensive duties while also picking up van der Vaart's late runs into the box, which proved such a rich source of goals for him last season.

Ledley King vs. Robin van Persie

The duel between this injury-prone pair is where this match will be won or lost.

Following the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, van Persie is now Arsenal's only bona fide world star. The likes of Wojciech Szczesny may soon join that particular club, but for now RvP bears a great deal of the responsibility for the club he now captains.

Not that he has wilted under such pressure. When fit and firing there is no doubting the Dutchman's quality. Fit and firing is what he has been in 2011. This calendar year van Persie has scored 21 times and set up another five in the Premier League, meaning he has been involved in more goals than any other player in the same period.  

Standing in his way is Tottenham's talismanic defender, King. This season Spurs have conceded just once in three matches against Wolves, Liverpool and Wigan, sealing the maximum nine points from that run as a result.

Considering the complete absence of cartilage in one of his knees means he spends most of his time training in a swimming pool without other teammates or even a ball to work with, the depth of King's true talent shines through.

Like van Persie, King will be wearing the armband for his team, and the prospect of watching the two skippers battle it out is a hugely enticing one.

Scott Parker vs. Mikel Arteta

At £5 million, Parker already looks as though he could be the bargain of the season. The 30-year-old has slotted right into the Tottenham midfield and looks every inch the player they have so desperately needed for so long.

Freed from the responsibility of having to do everything for West Ham, Parker is able to focus on being a mobile, dynamic and destructive force in the Spurs midfield. Not only is he able to snuff out one nascent attack after another, but his distribution is exceptional. His pass completion rate in the opposition half so far this season is 88.9 percent, higher than anyone else.

Parker will be charged with keeping another deadline-day arrival in North London, Mikel Arteta, quiet whenever Spurs do not have the ball. The Spaniard has had a good start to his Arsenal, creating an average of four chances per game since joining Arsenal. The only player to be more creative in that time is Samir Nasri (4.8 per game), one of the players Arteta has been brought in to replace.

If Arteta can free himself from Parker's dogged attentions then he can fully announce his Arsenal arrival by being their derby hero.

Gareth Bale vs. Bacary Sagna

Many have pointed to his lack of goals and assists in 2011 as a sign that Bale is a flash in the pan, and that his PFA Player of the Year award was in essence a glorified Man of the Match prize for his hat trick against Inter Milan.

But Bale remains one of Tottenham's most potent weapons. In his last two matches he has caused the respective right-backs of Liverpool and Wigan—Martin Skrtel and Steve Gohouri—to be sent off, both courtesy of picking up two bookings for fouling the Welshman.

He certainly enjoys it against Arsenal, too. He scored the crucial second goal in the 2-1 derby win of April 2010, a victory which kick-started their late-season run into the Champions League places. Last term, his goal just after halftime sparked a Spurs comeback which ended in a historic 3-2 win at the Emirates.

Sagna was playing in both those games, but in all fairness those goals came from Bale being allowed to rampage through the middle of the pitch rather than barging his way through his patch.

The French right-back's duels with Bale are always intriguing, and this Sunday's instalment has the potential to be decisive.

Emmanuel Adebayor vs. Per Mertesacker

Two new arrivals in North London, both standing well over six feet tall, will be facing up to each other for the first time.

It would be fair to say that Adebayor has had a much better time of it since he joined Spurs than Mertesacker has since arriving at Arsenal. Already the Togolese striker has scored three goals in as many appearances and set up another to get his Tottenham career off to a bright start.

Germany international defender Mertesacker, however, has not taken to his new club with such aplomb as yet. While the extent of Arsenal's defensive travails may be exaggerated somewhat—the disastrous 4-3 defeat at Blackburn appears to be a wobble on an otherwise cautiously upward turn in form—Mertesacker has not proved the quick-fix solution many Gunners fans will have hoped.

You don't win in excess of 70 caps for Germany if you are not good at your job, but facing Spurs as a whole and Adebayor in particular will be his biggest test in English football to date.

Mertesacker has a good three inches in height on Adebayor, but it is on the ground where he will have to prove himself. A solid performance and a clean sheet would be remembered by the Arsenal faithful, but a nervy showing or a costly mistake would last a lot longer in their minds.