Arsenal v Tottenham: everything you need to know about the north London derby

Dele Alli of Tottenham scraps with Granit Xhaka of Arsenal. The North London derby is this weekend. Credit:  Catherine Ivill/Getty ImagesDele Alli of Tottenham scraps with Granit Xhaka of Arsenal. The North London derby is this weekend. Credit:  Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
Dele Alli of Tottenham scraps with Granit Xhaka of Arsenal. The North London derby is this weekend. Credit: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images | Getty Images
The north London derby battle will commence at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The north London derby is one of the fiercest rivalries in the English football calendar, with both clubs just 10 minutes away from each other.

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This encounter dates back to the 19th century, and has produced some of the most entertaining matches in the Premier League era.

So what is the head-to-head record like? Who is the highest scorer? And who is coming into this with the best of form ?

LondonWorld brings you some of the key details heading into Sunday’s derby.

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History of the north London derby

Arsenal and Tottenham first played each other in 1887, but the rivalry did not begin until 1913 when Arsenal moved their home ground to North London.

Notable matches of the north London derby for the Gunners, include the games in which they won the league at White Hart Lane in 1971 and their invincible campaign in 2004.

Tottenham beat Arsenal 5–0 at home in 1983 and recently Spurs beat Arsenal at the Emirates to move forward in the League Cup

Arsenal v Tottenham: head-to-head record

Total Games Played 189

Arsenal win 78

Tottenham win 60

Draws 51

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Previous encounter

In the last league meeting between these two, Arsenal came from behind to secure a fully deserved north London derby win and inflict a 2-1 defeat  on Tottenham, derailing their hopes of a place in the Premier League’s top four.

Erik Lamela gave Spurs the lead with a  curved magnificent ‘rabona’ finish beyond Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno.

But Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette scored to give the Gunners all three points.

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North London derby Premier League top scorers

Tottenham striker Harry Kane is the leading scorer in the north London derby in the Premier League era with 11 goals, overtaking Emmanuel Adebayor who bagged 10.

Harry Kane 11

Emmanuel Adebayor 10

Robert Pires 8

Thierry Henry 5

Robin Van Persie 5

Gareth Bale 5

Ian Wright 4

Patrick Vieira 4

Freddie Ljungberg 4

Alexandre Lacazette 4

Players to have played for both Tottenham and Arsenal

There have been a handful of players who have played for both clubs and even scored for both clubs.

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) 2006-2009 (Tottenham) 2011-2015

William Gallas   (Arsenal) 2006-2010 ( Tottenham) 2010-2013

David Bentley (Arsenal) 1997-2006 (Tottenham) 2008-2011

Rohan Ricketts (Arsenal) 2001-2002 (Tottenham) 2002-2005

David Jenkins (Arsenal) 1966-1968 (Tottenham) 1968-1970

Laurie Brown (Arsenal) 1961-1964 (Tottenham) 1964-1966

Jimmy Brain (Arsenal) 1924-1931 (Tottenham) 1931-1935

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