Leaders Arsenal meet Tottenham for top-of-table North London derby clash

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Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Arsenal side will welcome the visit rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a much-anticipated North London derby at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Make sure to keep up to date with all the latest news, statistics and live scores from this weekend’s clash via the Flashscore app and website.

It comes as both teams have enjoyed strong starts to the campaign, with Tottenham entering the weekend one point behind Arsenal in third.

However, it is of course the Gunners who top the early Premier League table, with Arsenal’s almost-perfect start to the season having gained plaudits from across the football world.

A whopping 18 points from a possible 21 to begin proceedings has seen Arsenal race to the top of the league, with an uncharacteristic blip away to Manchester United the only blemish on their record so far.

At the heart of Arsenal’s transformation has been summer signing Gabriel Jesus, whose tally of goal contributions for the season now sits at seven, following another goal in the recent victory over Brentford.

Arteta’s side were able to avenge last season’s defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium, by cruising past a threatless Brentford side in the final match before the international break.

The three goals scored that afternoon took Arsenal’s tally for the season to 17, with only two sides in the division having scored more than the North London outfit.

Defensively Arsenal have also impressed up until this point, as the partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes begins to take shape.

Arsenal’s tally of five clean sheets from seven matches is the best in the league, with only reigning champions Manchester City being able to match such a record.

Aaron Ramsdale’s performances in the number one shirt of Arsenal have not gone unnoticed, with the England international included in the Three Lions’ most recent Nations League squad.

Yet, above all the standout individual performances, it has been the collective spirit shown by Arteta’s rejuvenated side that has impressed the most.

That’s something they’ll look to harness this Saturday when an unbeaten Spurs make the short journey to the Emirates for the weekend’s clash.

While their performances have not been as convincing as the Gunners so far, Tottenham have found a way to win football matches, despite not always being at their best.

A tally of 18 goals scored is one better than Arsenal’s at this point, whereas the two North London rivals boast an identical defensive record.

Ending Tottenham’s unbeaten start will be the aim for Arsenal this weekend, but a mixed record for the Gunners against Spurs might not inspire too much confidence heading into the match.

Of their last eight meetings, Arsenal have won just two of those head-to-heads, with Tottenham boasting the stronger record in recent years.

Granted, one of those two victories came at the Emirates last season, when a rampant Arsenal side ran out 3-1 winners against a hapless Spurs.

Looking for a repeat this weekend, Arsenal will no doubt enter the clash as favourites, as they look to continue their stellar start to the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

By Amos Murphy

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