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Twenty four hours later champions Manchester City host
Manchester United as the Premier League returns with a derby
bonanza after the international break.
Arsenal and Spurs have both enjoyed flying starts with Mikel
Arteta's table-topping Gunners having won six of their first
seven league games -- their best start since 2007-08.
Antonio Conte's Tottenham are unbeaten, with five victories and
two draws, their equal best start in the Premier League.
However, Spurs will have to overturn a horrid record at their
neighbours if they are to leapfrog them and go top, having won
at Arsenal only once in their last 29 league visits.
Despite that statistic, Tottenham have swung the balance of
power in north London, finishing above Arsenal for the last six
seasons having spent the previous 21 ending up below them.
Arsenal had a golden chance to re-assert themselves last season
when they were poised for a top-four finish at Tottenham's
expense but a 3-0 capitulation at Spurs in May allowed Conte's
team to sneak above them.
Tottenham have carried the momentum of last season and are now
on a 13-match unbeaten streak in the league going back to April
even if there is a suspicion that their results so far have been
more impressive than some of their performances.
They will travel to The Emirates for the lunchtime kickoff in
buoyant mood and with forward Son Heung-min back in form after a
14-minute hat-trick in Tottenham's 6-2 victory over Leicester
City in their last match.
Son had not scored this season before his explosive cameo
against Leicester and with Harry Kane already on six goals for
the campaign, Arsenal's defence faces a stern test.
ARTETA'S BLUEPRINT
This time last season Arteta's Arsenal were just turning the
corner after a dreadful start, but the Spaniard now looks to
have instilled his blueprint on the team.
Striker Gabriel Jesus has been a revelation since joining from
Manchester City, scoring four league goals already and helping
bring a winning mentality to a young squad while Granit Xhaka
looks re-born in Arsenal's midfield.
Saturday's clash will be a tactical battle with Arsenal's
probing, possession-based style up against the counter-attacking
thrust of a Tottenham side happy to soak up pressure.
"It's a specialty of Conte's. With Son Heung-min now finding
form, they could do damage to Arsenal," former England striker
Chris Sutton, now a BBC pundit, said.
If Arsenal win they will preserve top spot after eight games.
Any other result means Pep Guardiola's City can climb to the
summit with a win against United on Sunday.
Despite the form of the north London duo, City already look
favourites to retain their crown, especially with new signing
Erling Haaland ripping up the scoring record books.
The Norwegian already has 11 goals in his first seven league
appearances and if he maintains that rate he would smash the
Premier League record of 34 in a season.
United are on a four-match winning streak in the league but have
not played a league game since beating Arsenal on Sept. 4 and
face a manic schedule of nine matches in October.
Liverpool also return to action with a home game against
Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday knowing they have almost used
up their margin for error after six games.
Graham Potter takes charge of his first Premier League game as
Chelsea manager as they go to Crystal Palace.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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