Ah, the North London Derby. The contentious battle between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur never fails to disappoint or entertain, with a mix of pride, contempt, jealousy, and disdain that few other rivalries can match. Now it’s time for their second meeting of the season, just six weeks after the Gunners beat Spurs 2-1 at White Hart Lane. This time it’s at Arsenal’s house, and you can guarantee that the Emirates Stadium will be rocking.
Arsenal vs. Tottenham 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch EPL online
The North London Derby is always well worth watching, especially when Arsenal and Tottenham are only separated by a few points in the table.
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Adding a little extra spice to this edition of the derby is just how close these rivals are in the table -- Arsenal are even on points with Manchester City atop the table with 25 points, with Tottenham just five points back in sixth. A win for Spurs in this match wouldn’t just help knock Arsenal off the top of the table, it would put them to within two points of their arch-rivals. That would be the dream scenario for Mauricio Pochettino -- and the nightmare for Arsene Wenger.
Key Arsenal player -- Alexis Sanchez
With so many other attackers hurt for Arsenal, it’s time for Sanchez to kick things up a few notches. The Gunners’ injury woes mean that Tottenham will be able to better focus on him, but in a way that’s when Sanchez is at his most dangerous. When that pressure ramps up and the weight is on his shoulders, he often finds another gear to slip into, and when he hits his stride he’s nearly impossible to stop.
Key Tottenham player -- Christian Eriksen
The Danish playmaker has probably been Tottenham’s best and most consistent player this season, providing an almost guaranteed threat in the final third whenever he has the ball at his feet. Be it finding another attacker with a through ball, shooting from the edges of the box, or slinging in a free kick, Eriksen is the number one threat that Arsenal will have to deal with. If they can’t find a way to slow him down, they’re in for a world of hurt.
Key matchup -- Francis Coquelin (Arsenal) vs. Eric Dier (Tottenham)
The two nominal ball-winners in their respective midfields also like to get forward whenever the opportunity presents itself. That means that these two will be tangling frequently, and even looking to keep the other from tracking down whoever has the ball and trying to force a turnover. With Coquelin disappointing slightly this season and Dier exceeding expectations after moving out of Tottenham’s defense, this could be an interesting battle to watch unfold.
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hector Bellerin, Danny Welbeck, Tomas Rosicky In doubt: Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta, David Ospina
Tottenham Hotspur injuries and suspensions
Out: Nacer Chadli, Alex Pritchard In doubt: Danny Rose, Son Heung-Min, Nabil Bentaleb, Andros Townsend
Both of these teams are pretty battered right now, with several starters either out or playing at less than 100%. Arsenal’s attack has the worst of it, though, with Walcott, Ramsey, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Welbeck out, representing a huge part of their depth.
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 11 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. local
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), TSN4, 5 (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
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