Antonio Conte and his Tottenham team will be intent on righting the wrongs of their last north London derby when Arsenal visit N17 on Sunday. Unbeaten in their first seven Premier League games and only one point behind the Gunners prior to their trip to the Emirates Stadium at the start of October, Mikel Arteta's team secured the bragging rights with a 3-1 win.
Spurs were just not at the races that day and now they have to try and gain revenge with Arsenal top of the table and 11 points ahead of them as we approach the midway point of the campaign. Tottenham, who will be roared on by a capacity home crowd, will certainly be buoyed by two successive wins coming into the contest but, as is usually the case on derby day, the form book does tend to go out of the window.
Last going head-to-head at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in May, Spurs dealt Arsenal's Champions League aspirations a hammer blow following a convincing 3-0 win. As nice as it would be for the Lilywhites to repeat the feat this time around, three points is all that matters with the team now in fifth having seen Newcastle United and Manchester United leapfrog them in the standings.
READ MORE: Bryan Gil discusses Tottenham future, Antonio Conte and troubles in trying to change physically
What proved crucial to Tottenham pipping Arsenal to a top-four finish last season was having plenty of time on the training ground with no midweek games to contend with following their European exit. Apart from the first few weeks of this campaign, that has not been the case this term with clubs competing in Europe facing jam-packed schedules in order to fit the World Cup into the calendar.
This week sees the return of the Carabao Cup as the final eight teams in the competition target a place in the semi-finals. Tottenham's third round exit at the hands of Nottingham Forest means that the Lilywhites have a rare midweek without a game, although all at Spurs would undoubtedly have preferred to be preparing for a cup quarter-final tie following such a long time without a trophy.
Time on the training pitch is one thing Conte and his coaching staff have on their hands this week and that perhaps only bodes well if the second half of last season is anything to go by. With eight days between their 1-0 FA Cup third round win over Portsmouth and the north London derby, Spurs can really get down to business at their Enfield base and devise the best possible plan to get the better of Arsenal.
The Gunners, on the other hand, will have two days less to prepare as their FA Cup fixture away at League One side Oxford United takes place on Monday evening. Speaking to N17 Live after the Portsmouth win, midfielder Oliver Skipp did reveal that the team would have a couple of days off before attention fully turns to Arsenal.
"I think we've got a couple of days off so it will be nice to recover and to think other things," explained the England Under-21s ace. "Then we'll be looking at pretty much a full week to prepare for Arsenal. We'll be making sure we watch their games back, do all the analysis and making sure we're right for that game."
Son Heung-min also outlined the importance of the team doing their "homework" for the north London derby, especially after how the last meeting between the sides went.
"Every game is tough, everybody is preparing well," he said. "We have a week to prepare for the biggest game in north London. We lost at the Emirates Stadium and our fans were really disappointed so we have to do our homework and make it good again.
"We have a massive task at home so everybody must be ready to throw their body in and we’re good to go. It’s been really important to win these two games for our confidence it will be very important."
Securing a sensational 3-2 win away at Man City in February six days after a defeat against Wolves, Tottenham also had a similar break between games when following up a win over Leicester City with a really good point at Liverpool to hand Jurgen Klopp's side a title blow. Five days after that 1-1 draw on Merseyside, Spurs then went and beat Arsenal 3-0.
The above results show the power of Conte having quality time at Hotspur Way with his players and drilling a plan into them when coming up against the Premier League's best. As Son put it, Tottenham must do their "homework" and ensure they are in the best possible position to deliver Arsenal an almighty blow.
Returns for Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur would be a timely boost after their recent injuries, with Richarlison also able to give the team a lift if he is fit enough to take a place on the bench following the hamstring injury he picked up at the World Cup. Whether or not the trio do indeed feature in the derby, Conte will make sure his troops are ready to attack the game by making full use of the time he has with them at Hotspur Way over the coming days.
READ NEXT:
Son Heung-min delivers Arsenal verdict and reveals what Tottenham must do for north London derby
Telling Djed Spence reaction, Bryan Gil shines - 5 things spotted in Tottenham vs Portsmouth
Every word Cristian Stellini said about Sarr, Skipp, Gil, Kane and Bissouma injury update
Tottenham player ratings vs Portsmouth: Harry Kane edges close to record as Sarr and Gil impress
Telling Djed Spence reaction, Bryan Gil shines - 5 things spotted in Tottenham vs Portsmouth
