Arsenal enter the latest edition of the North London Derby with their Premier League lead under threat, as Tottenham Hotspur aim to dent their rivals' title hopes under new boss Igor Tudor.
Mikel Arteta's side threw away a two-goal lead as Wolverhampton Wanderers fought back to draw 2-2 in their midweek game, leaving Manchester City facing a gap of two points should they win their game against Newcastle United. Tottenham, meanwhile, have had an extended break with Thomas Frank sacked after their 2-1 loss to Newcastle at home.
An away game against a rival squad motivated to perform under their new manager may be the last thing Arteta's side would want, but a derby victory could spur their stuttering campaign back to life.
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's game.
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Sunday on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League in the UK, NBC/Peacock in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Sunday, Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m. GMT (11:30 a.m. ET; 10 p.m. IST and 2:30 a.m. AEST, Monday).
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London.
Referee: Peter Bankes
VAR: Darren England
Injury and Team News:
Tottenham Hotspur
Cristian Romero, D: OUT, suspended
Dejan Kulusevski, M: OUT, knee, est. return late February
Destiny Udogie, D: OUT, muscle, est. return late February
Ben Davies, D: OUT, ankle, est. return mid April
Kevin Danso, D: OUT, toe, est. return late February
Wilson Odobert, F: OUT, ACL, est. return early July
Pedro Porro, D, DOUBT, hamstring
James Maddison, M: OUT, ACL, est. return early May
Lucas Bergvall: M: OUT, leg, est. return late April
Rodrigo Bentancur, M: OUT, hamstring, est. return mid April
Mohammed Kudus, F: OUT, muscle, est. return mid April
Richarlison, F: DOUBT, hamstring
Arsenal:
Max Dowman, M: OUT, ankle est. return late February
Mikel Merino, M: OUT, foot, est. return late May
Martin Ødegaard, M: DOUBT, knock
Kai Havertz, F: DOUBT, muscle
Bukayo Saka, M: DOUBT, muscle
Talking Points:
Is the wobble on?
After 27 games, Arsenal's predilection for 'bottling' a title race has come to the fore. Arteta's side were in cruise control against Wolves with a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute, but let their opponents back into the game and were made to pay with an injury time equaliser. What would have been an effective four-point lead over Man City is now two points, and with a game at the Etihad to come, Pep Guardiola's side have renewed hope.
Fifty-eight points at this stage of the season is the lowest a Premier League leader has had since Leicester City's 2015-16 campaign -- which means there will be further twists in the title race. City have found their winning formula recently, but the Premier League remains as unpredictable as ever.
Even a side with as poor form as Tottenham can genuinely hope to get one over their rivals, and a victory in the derby would be all the sweeter if they make Arsenal's title wobble into a full-blown collapse.
New manager, new formation bounce for Spurs?
Tudor will have five days of preparation with players that will be a week fresher than Arsenal's come kickoff. The Croatian has no experience of the Premier League, but has a reputation of being a quick-fix boss who can rescue a season... before things eventually go awry the next year or later.
Tudor isn't about to let his players get away with any excuses though, saying: "I'm coming here knowing that situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I said from the first day here, each of us, need to give something something more, something extra."
The former Juventus boss is known for playing a three-man defence with a fierce press, which is a far cry away from his predecessor's style. However, the likes of Micky van de Ven as a marauding centre-back and Xavi Simons, who leads the league in final-third turnovers, might be well suited to Tudor's demands.
Tudor's style could serve as fodder for the derby atmosphere, which could catch out a nervy Arsenal side. Spurs may be in a relegation battle, but they might have a huge say in the title race.
Saka or Eze through the middle?
Ironically, one of the few times Frank used a three-man defence was in the first half of the derby at the Emirates earlier this season, which saw Eberechi Eze thrive en route to scoring a memorable hat-trick. The Englishman has been largely anonymous since, but showed glimpses of his creative self with a superb pair of assists as Arsenal defeated Wigan in the FA Cup.
His reward was to be dropped back to the bench against Wolves, and be brought on to defend a one-goal lead (unsuccessfully) for 25 minutes. Eze's stop-start campaign has meant he's failed to reach the heights he did for Crystal Palace last season, but Tottenham represent the perfect opportunity for the childhood Arsenal fan.
Arteta has experimented with Bukayo Saka in the No. 10 role in the absence of Martin Ødegaard, but with both players remaining injury doubts for this game, it might be time for Eze to shine. The midfielder has scored six in his last four games against Spurs, so he ought to be at the forefront of Arsenal's efforts in north London on Sunday.
Can Tudor deal with Spurs' injuries, suspensions
That Tottenham have the league's worst injury list is well-known, with up to 12 players unavailable for the North London Derby. Yet, it's also which 12 players that are missing that ought to give Tudor a worry. Spurs are without two of their best creative players in James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, with Mohammed Kudus also out for a majority of the season.
Tudor won't be afforded the leeway that a new manager has in a fresh start to the squad -- his lineup against Arsenal will effectively be restricted to those that are available, with very little room for tweaking Frank's previous lineups.
However, Tudor has won his first game in charge in the last five clubs he's taken over (all midway through the season), and he certainly knows how to get up to speed quick.
Will form, history count for anything?
Form and previous history generally go out the window for a derby, a fact which Tudor will be keen to reiterate to his new set of charges. Just as well, since Arsenal have won all three of their previous visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Spurs have avoided defeat in only one of the last seven derbies.
Should Spurs lose this game, they will have a couple of unwanted records -- the worst losing run in the league (5) against Arsenal since 1989, while the last time Tottenham lost four home derbies in a row was in 1955.
Yet, Arteta's team have failed to win from winning positions in three of their last five games, with their formerly miserly defence now having conceded eight goals cumulatively in four of their last eight games. It may be top vs. 16th in the table, but Tottenham vs Arsenal remains as unpredicatable as ever.