The North London Derby is one of the most contentious derbies in England, throwing together two English teams separated by less than five miles in a matchup of clubs that just don’t like each other. Be it because of the proximity or the sheer history between the two teams, this is one of the angriest, most hard-fought, and absolutely must-watch derbies in all of England. This will be the 181st time that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have faced each other, and this one is for advancement in the League Cup.
Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
London’s most bitter rivalry plays out in a single-elimination match. This should be fun.
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It’s a rivalry that Arsenal has traditionally dominated, but Tottenham have been getting some wins of their own in recent years. This rivalry has only grown more heated as Spurs have steadily climbed the Premier League table and hierarchy in recent years, with their goal firmly set on eclipsing the Gunners’ standing in the league. That hasn’t happened yet, but they’ve definitely gone a long ways towards closing the gap.
Now they face off in an early-round League Cup match. It seems like something of a waste to have such a fiercely-contested match this early in England’s secondary cup competition, but that’s the luck of the draw. This should still be an excellent match, though, as neither team will want to roll over for the other, even if neither team has the League Cup particularly high up on their list of priorities for the season.
Key Tottenham player -- Harry Kane
Despite being one of the breakout stars of the EPL last season -- the breakout star, really -- Kane has yet to score in six matches this season. Seven, if you include the Europa League. This would be a fantastic time for Kane to break his duck, especially since he score a brace against Arsenal last season. If he can get rolling in this match, Tottenham are going to be tough to beat.
Key Arsenal player -- Mikel Arteta
Arteta has not been enjoying life in the middle of Arsenal’s midfield this season, with injury slowing him down early and a terrible performance in the Champions League helping contribute to Arsenal’s shocking loss to Dinamo Zagreb. He’s going to have to play in this match simply because of how devastated Arsenal’s midfield is, and when he does step out onto the pitch, he’s going to need to kick his performance level up about five notches if he’s going to help Arsenal win this game.
Tottenham Hotspur injuries and suspensions
Out: Nabil Bentaleb (foot), Alex Pritchard (ankle) In doubt: Ryan Mason (knee), Moussa Dembele (ankle)
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Santi Cazorla (suspension), Francis Coquelin (knee), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Tomas Rosicky (knee), Danny Welbeck (knee).
The injury problem is increasingly bad for Arsenal, with their central midfield group pretty well depleted. They’re basically going to be forced to play Mathieu Flamini at some point, and that’s not a position that Wenger likely wants to be in. Tottenham are a little beat up in midfield as well, with Bentaleb out and both Mason and Dembele standing as question marks in terms of their fitness. Maybe both teams will just play longball all day to avoid dealing with the middle of the pitch altogether. That actually seems like a plausible solution.
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. local
Venue: White Hart Lane, London, England
TV: beIN Sports (U.S.)
Online: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
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