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Before every game at Emirates Stadium, Martin Odegaard lifts the lid on the mood in the camp via his captain’s notes published in the matchday programme.

Ahead of tonight's north London derby against Tottenham, the skipper reflects on our FA Cup exit last time out, Tottenham's season so far and the need to stay united with so much still at stake over the next few months:

We were all hurting after Sunday's defeat, but as soon as we came into training on Monday morning we were determined to get going again straight away.

Having a massive game like the derby tonight is a great way to get everyone completely focused again and looking forward. We know how much this game means to all of you – our supporters – but also to the players and everyone at the club. That’s the good thing about having a big game so soon after a disappointment.

It was really tough to take on Sunday – it was very frustrating for everyone. On the pitch I had the feeling that we dominated the game from the first half until the end. We could have been sharper in front of goal and also in the last pass and the final shot. But to lose that game at home when we dominated everything, it’s a tough one to take.

And of course I have to take responsibility for the penalty. I should have scored – that’s not good enough from me. It was a crucial moment of the game as well because I think if I scored that, we probably go on to win the game. I felt like I’d let the team down, so it was important for me to step up again in the shoot-out, and I wanted to go first like usual. It was good that one went in, but in the end it wasn’t enough, so I still feel that responsibility to the team.

We have to keep on going though, and know we will get rewarded if we keep dominating games like that. In a single game of course it can happen that you don’t win, but in the long run it will pay off. We need to be sharper in the key moments to make sure we get the results we’ve worked for. We have to keep going and keep improving. There is no choice for us now. We have to be at our best back in the Premier League tonight.

Tottenham have been a bit inconsistent this season with their results, but we know their top level is very high. They can beat anybody, and we have seen them do that already this season. They are a good team who like to play good football, but it's down to us to use our strengths to get the result we want.

We have a lot to play for this season. We lost the chance at one trophy at the weekend but there are more challenges ahead for us, so we have to stick together, keep working hard, keep helping each other and keep supporting each other.

We’re just looking at the next game – that’s what matters now – and we’d love to feel that energy and noise from you all inside the stadium again tonight. Let’s make it a great Emirates Stadium night.

With the north London derby on the horizon this weekend, we're challenging our Gooners to see if they can remember all our goalscorers in the fixtures between the sides at Emirates Stadium by taking part in our quiz!

We have netted 52 times in the 22 clashes against our arch-rivals in all competitions since we moved into our current home in 2006 including three own goals, but how many of the 30 different Gunners players who got on the scoresheet can you recall?

You've got seven minutes to type in as many answers as you can, and why not challenge your mates to see if you've got the best memory going into derby day?

The north London derby returns to N5 for the first time since September 2023 on Wednesday (8pm UK), as we look to continue our dominance of the fixture.

We haven’t tasted defeat at home to Tottenham in over 14 years, and have lost just one of the last 31 league encounters in N5. September’s success at Spurs means we could string together a run of three-straight league wins over our neighbours for the first time since 1989, but while history is important, Mikel Arteta’s current side are building some impressive numbers of their own.

We boast the second-longest unbeaten run in the Premier League which now sits at 10 matches, and are the only team in the division yet to lose at home this term. After Sunday’s FA Cup exit, extending those runs thanks to victory over our biggest rivals would be just the tonic to keep our championship challenge alive.

Tottenham’s torrid time

Spurs head into this game with one win in their last eight matches, which has seen them slide from sixth to 12th position during a bleak December. That solitary recent success came at rock-bottom Southampton, and since the start of last month, only Leicester City and the Saints have earned fewer points than Spurs’ five.

When they get things right, they can record big scorelines. Their most eye-catching result of the campaign saw them wallop Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad, while Aston Villa and Manchester United were beaten by three-goal margins. A massive injury crisis has led to a mix-and-match defence at times, which Liverpool, Chelsea and United punished heavily last month, scoring 14 times between them.

They haven’t won at home in the league since November 3, and have only strung consecutive Premier League wins together once all term, which came back in September. But the up-and-down nature of their season appeared in a nutshell last week, beating Liverpool to take a 1-0 lead in the League Cup semi-final first leg, before requiring extra-time to knock out non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup third round.

What the managers say

Arteta: “It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, and everybody involved in the game. This is something that is in our hands.

“Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That's something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let's do it.”

Postecoglu: “I felt [the derby] was intense from the moment I arrived but at the same time I've never tried to be disingenuous about this stuff and say 'this means the world to me' when I've literally just arrived. But you get the context of the game and what it means to the club and supporters and what it means for our season.

“It's like being up in Glasgow, you're well aware of what it means and the ramifications of both the positive and negative. I've been on it for the first game. This year is as big as they ever come, especially for us and our season. We have to start winning games in the league and this is no better place to start.”

Team news

Mikel Arteta will make a late call on the fitness of Riccardo Calafiori who missed Sunday’s cup tie with a short-term issue, but Gabriel Jesus is out long-term after being stretchered off against Manchester United there days ago.

As has been the case for the past few matches, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Ethan Nwaneri and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all still unavailable.

It’s a case of one in, one out for Postecoglu as he welcomes back Richarlison who has been out of action since November with a hamstring injury, but that same ailment has ruled Timo Werner out for the foreseeable future.

Hamstrings have been a huge problem at Spurs all campaign, with defenders Ben Davies, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie all out with the same issue, as is winger Wilson Odobert. Their backline is further depleted with Rodrigo Bentancur (concussion) and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (fractured ankle) also missing.

Talking tactics

Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: In September’s derby, Postecoglou went with a 4-3-3, using James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski either side of a single holding midfielder. He tweaked it for the 4-0 triumph at Manchester City, stationing two orthodox midfielders in the engine room alongside Maddison, pushing Kulusevski to a right-wing berth. If Spurs go back to that blueprint, their tactics will focus less on possession, and more on aggressive duel winning, quick transitions, and counters.

Pressing forms a key part of Tottenham’s high-octane style. No top-flight team makes more pressures inside the final third, and they are second only to Bournemouth when it comes to turning over possession in that domain. When we play out from the back they will hunt in packs, looking to win the ball inside our own half.

Going forward, Tottenham use the wings well. The two wide forwards are given plenty of service, supported by the wide central midfielders and full-backs. Spurs are good at creating overloads down the flanks, and scoring is not a problem as they rank inside the division’s top five for shots, shots on target and expected goals.

Their risky style has been undone in recent weeks though. If opponents can play through Spurs, they isolate a depleted back four that holds a really high line. In possession, Postecoglou’s players must be comfortable receiving passes in tight areas. From short goal kicks we are likely to press hard in a bid to force errors.

Facts and stats

We have won six of our last eight Premier League games against Spurs, and following our 1-0 win in September, we are looking to complete the Premier League double over Tottenham for the fifth time. Only in 2013/14 have we done so without conceding in the competition.

Tottenham have conceded at least once in each of their last 25 Premier League away games against us, since a 0-0 draw in 1998/99. In their league history, only at Bolton have they had a longer run without an away clean sheet (35 between 1923 and 2012).

Tottenham have won just three of their last 19 away London derbies in the Premier League, going winless in their last four. Meanwhile, we are unbeaten in our last 11.

We’ve kept a clean sheet in each of our last four home league games, last recording five consecutive shutouts at Emirates Stadium between December 2013 and February 2014.

We have conceded 28% of our Premier League goals in the opening 15 minutes of games this season (5/18). Meanwhile, Tottenham have scored more goals in this time period than any other side (11).

Each of Kai Havertz’s last 11 Premier League goals have been scored in London. The last Arsenal player to have a longer such run was Lukas Podolski (12 between December 2012 and April 2014.

Son Heung-Min has either scored (7) or assisted (2) nine of Tottenham’s last 14 Premier League goals against us, netting a brace in this exact fixture last term.

Match officials

For the third time this season, Simon Hooper will referee one of our games, having overseen the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest in November, followed by our 5-1 triumph at Crystal Palace a month later. We have won seven of the nine games he has overseen, including each of the last four.

His only Spurs match this term came last month when they were beaten by Bournemouth. He has issued 56 yellow cards in 12 Premier League games this season, dismissing two players and awarding just one penalty.

Referee: Simon Hooper

Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long

Fourth official: Tim Robinson

VAR: Peter Bankes

Assistant VAR: Tim Wood

Recent home derbies

We are looking to extend our unbeaten home run in the derby to 14 matches on Wednesday, but Spurs did manage to snap our four-match winning streak last season when they twice pegged us back thanks to a Son-Heung min brace, after a Christian Romero own goal and a Saka penalty had put us ahead.

Before then came a pair of 3-1 wins - in September 2022 goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka saw us end Spurs’ unbeaten start, while a year previous Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Saka got on the scoresheet against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

The campaign before that, a first Gunners goal for Martin Odegaard plus an Alexandre Lacazette strike helped complete a 2-1 comeback win and deny Spurs a first win at Emirates Stadium since November 2010.

Live coverage

To get your derby day buzz going, tune into Live From N5, where Nicole Holliday and Ezra Collective's Femi Koleoso will be pitchside an hour before kick-off to give you a flavour of the big game!

They'll be joined by our defender Leah Williamson to chat north London derby memories, as well as singer-songwriter Myles Smith who will give their take on the big game.

Frimmy will be out and about the stadium with our Question of the Day, while all the tactical insight will come from Adrian Clarke before he joins Dan Roebuck for live commentary.

Further to being substituted during our match with Manchester United on Sunday, Gabriel Jesus has received extensive assessments, scans and specialist reviews which have confirmed that he has sustained an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme.

We will continue to keep everyone updated with Gabby’s recovery, with everyone at the club fully focused on supporting Gabby to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.

It's a game all Gooners have had circled on their calendars since the fixture list was announced last summer, and you can see our players preparing for our home north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in our gallery.

The squad have been back at the Sobha Realty Training Centre this week developing their gameplan for the visit of our neighbours on Wednesday night, as we aim to beat Spurs for the second time this campaign and complete a league double over our rivals.

Club photographer Stuart MacFarlane was at the training ground to capture the mood in the camp going into derby day, and you can see his best shots from the latest session in our gallery below:

Nothing stirs a Gooner’s emotions more than a visit from Tottenham Hotspur, with victories over our arch-rivals going down as some of our supporters’ most memorable moments following the club.

There have been plenty to choose from down the years, and to get you excited ahead of the latest north London derby at Emirates Stadium, we have selected five of the best from the last four decades.

Sit back and enjoy these successes over Spurs:

November 24, 1996

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

In just his sixth game in charge, Arsene Wenger quickly discovered the passion and fever around derby day. Spurs arrived having won six of their last seven, while we were on a run of one victory in six, but we turned the form book upside down. Ian Wright handed us a 28th-minute lead from the penalty spot but Andy Sinton equalised with a bobbling long-range effort just before the hour mark.

A disappointing draw looked on the cards until the 88th minute when Tony Adams slammed us back into the lead, and better was to come when Dennis Bergkamp brilliantly controlled a Wright cross, escaped the attentions of Stephen Carr and set himself perfectly to fire past Ian Walker to secure a first win over our rivals in nearly five years, and score one of the fixture’s greatest goals.

November 16, 2002

Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham

However, perhaps the best-ever goal scored in the north London derby arrived six years later when Thierry Henry single-handedly sliced his way through the Spurs side to produce a moment worth immortalising in bronze outside Emirates Stadium years later.

Just 13 minutes in, there seemed little danger when the Frenchman picked the ball up midway inside his own half, but he surged past Matthew Etherington and Carr to reach the edge of the Tottenham area, and fired into the net before performing a famous knee slide in front of the travelling support. Further strikes from Freddie Ljungberg and Sylvain Wiltord sealed a comfortable win, but Henry’s brilliance was the abiding memory.

February 26, 2012

Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham

Goals are never in short supply in north London derbies, and this particular encounter was packed full of them. It looked as though our neighbours were on course to record successive wins at our home for the first time in 86 years when Louis Saha and ex-Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor netted, but we would come roaring back when Bacary Sagna headed in a Mikel Arteta cross before a superb strike from Robin van Persie levelled matters before half-time.

Our momentum carried on into the second half when Tomas Rosicky edged us ahead six minutes after the restart, and then Theo Walcott would stamp his authority on the game by racing through to score twice in three minutes to stun our opponents and complete a fine victory.

November 17, 2012

Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham

Incredibly, the same unusual scoreline was recorded at the same venue just nine months later as we again managed to recover from falling behind to net five times. Things weren’t going to plan when Adebayor haunted us again, but his 17th-minute dismissal proved pivotal as a Per Mertesacker header, Lukas Podolski’s scuffed shot and an Olivier Giroud finish handed us a healthy lead before half-time.

A goal from the scintillating Santi Cazorla seemed to have secured the points on the hour, but Gareth Bale restored Tottenham’s toe-hold shortly afterwards. However the final word was left to Walcott again who restored our three-goal cushion in stoppage-time to ensure history repeated itself.

October 1, 2022

Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

Spurs headed to Emirates Stadium looking to leapfrog us into top spot in the Premier League, but a fine display from Arteta’s team ensured we instead strengthened our lead. Thomas Partey’s wonderful strike from distance set us on our way, but a Harry Kane penalty meant the sides went in all-square at the break.

However a poacher’s effort from Gabriel Jesus restored our lead four minutes into the second half, and Emerson Royal’s red card saw things turn in our favour even more. Needing one more goal to clinch the points, Granit Xhaka drove in a third to secure a third straight home victory in this fixture for the first time since 2013.

Ahead of the visit of Tottenham Hotspur for the north London derby on Wednesday, Mikel has challenged everyone on and off the field to make it a night to remember by creating the best-ever atmosphere generated at Emirates Stadium.

N5 has been an area of north London that Spurs haven’t enjoyed visiting for decades, having won just one of their last 31 Premier League visits and are winless in the last 13.

A huge part of that has been the fever whipped up by the home crowd, keen to ensure that proud record remains intact and allows them to keep enjoying the bragging rights. And with us looking to complete a league double over Tottenham for the fifth time in the Premier League era, Mikel wants to raise that bar even more as he looks for new levels of support.

“It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, what it means to us and everybody involved in the game. This is something that is in our hands,” he said in his pre-match press conference.

“Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That's something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let's do it.”

A derby day under the lights on our own turf will be a new experience for many of our squad, especially some of the youngsters who could be involved after breaking through this campaign, plus some of the newer recruits.

When asked if he needed to educate them on the rivalry, the passion and what it means to all Gooners, the boss revealed that the buzz around the Sobha Realty Training Centre indicates that everyone is well aware of this fixture’s history and importance, especially as we aim to get back to winning ways after a difficult week.

“We spoke with Ethan [Nwaneri] and Myles [Lewis-Skelly], as well as all players and a lot of the staff,” he added. “You can feel it straight away when you are in the building that the big one is coming up and that excitement is around the building. They can feel it and they know about it.

“This is a more challenging period that we’ve had, especially as we’ve lost very important players in crucial moments, but things happen for a reason in this life. We have to adapt, and with everything that has happened, look how the team performed. OK, we didn’t win the other day, but if you have to go out of a competition, let’s go out like this when you have been infinitely better than the opposition.

“On Wednesday we have another one. It’s probably the best time to play, because we know what that game means for all of us. So, let's face it, the circumstances are where they are, let's embrace them and let's get the best out of that.”

Mikel Arteta was back behind the press conference desk at the Sobha Realty Training Centre the day before we face Tottenham Hotspur to give his thoughts on our home north London derby day.

He was asked to give an update about injuries following the defeat to Manchester United, how they affect transfer plans, his thoughts on Ange Postecoglu and much more.

Here is everything he said to journalists in attendance:

on the latest on Gabriel Jesus’ injury:

We know more now and it's not looking at all. We need to review with one more specialist, so we will probably have better information this afternoon.

on whether it’s an ACL injury:

I don’t want to confirm anything until we’ve had the final report this afternoon. It’s the doctor’s job to do that, but we were very worried straight away after the game and we are very worried today.

on whether it could be a season-ending injury:

Let’s wait until the tests.

on whether any other players could be available:

We have one more training session and there are a few that could be close. But again, this afternoon we’ll have the full info on the squad, who is available and who is not.

on whether Riccardo Calafiori could be fit:

His thing is not much, but again, we need another day or two. We’ve been playing every three days and 24 hours becomes really important because they are not long-term injuries, in that case for example. We will have more understanding this afternoon.

on if Jorginho is OK:

He was cramping when we were playing extra-time, Jurrien [Timber] was exactly the same, so we had a few players struggling to finish the game. He’s fine.

on if Jesus’ injury changes our transfer plans:

My answer doesn't change, it remains the same - we are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and that’s been the same since day one. It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances. So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let's see what we are able to do.

on transfers not being in our hands:

When you have to recruit a player, there are three parties and you have to agree to that. We have our limitations like any other club, so we can do what we can do. We plan our squad and we have our limits to do what we want to do, and that's it. So the fact that I love our players a lot doesn’t mean we’re doing nothing about improving - I am not that stubborn. We all want the same, so we use every opportunity to improve the squad daily, and when the market comes in and we can do that too, we’ll make sure that we have the best resources and the best capacities to compete in the manner we want.

on the derby:

It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch because of the atmosphere, because of what it means to our people, what it means to us and everybody involved in the game. This is something that is in our hands, for example. Let’s create the best atmosphere that we have played at the Emirates, that’s our objective. That's something that we control, the players, the staff, and everybody that turns up tomorrow. This is something that we can do, so let's do it.

on the social media abuse directed at our players:

It’s incredible, and we really have to do something about it because accepting that and hiding this I think has terrible consequences. It's something that we really have to eradicate from the game because it’s so simple and so dependent on the result of an action, and there is no other industry like this. On December 27 at home, we won 1-0 and Kai Havertz scored a goal and the whole stadium sang the waka waka song. That was 20 days ago. Where is the perspective?

We are all responsible, and all means you guys [the media], everybody is responsible for the narrative, everyone is responsible for how we talk. and we cannot look somewhere else. That's a really serious matter, and it affects him, it affects me, it affects everybody in the industry in a way. We can accept it and say that it's our job, yes, but there are certain limits and the line has to drawn. We put a lot of attention on technology and what is next, what is next in football, the next in football might be that this is prohibited. It cannot happen - that's it.

on whether this is toughest period with injuries as our boss:

This is a more challenging period that we’ve had, especially as we’ve lost very important players in crucial moments, but I don't know, things happen for a reason in this life. We have to adapt, and with everything that has happened, look how the team performs. OK, we didn’t win the other day, but if you have to go out of a competition, let’s go out like this when you have been infinitely better than the opposition, and on Wednesday we have another one. It’s probably the best time to play, because we know what that game means for all of us. So, let's face it, the circumstances are where they are, let's embrace them and let's get the best out of that because even with all that, look how the team plays.

on if his respect for Ange Postecoglu has grown within his injury crisis:

That's our job, it's very difficult to predict that those things are going to happen, but how we react, it’s something that is in our hands. You can be sorry for yourself and start to find excuses or face it. Ange has done that and last year they had some difficulties as well, and he dealt with it in the same way, so I really respect that.

We're back in Premier League action for Wednesday's game against Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium.

The match kicks off at 8pm UK time and if you haven’t got a ticket then supporters around the world can tune into our new matchday show Live From N5 on Arsenal.com and the official app for all the Gooner-related analysis, laughs and build-up you can handle!

The game will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK. For non-UK supporters, you can check out which broadcaster is covering the game in your region below:

Highlights of the game will be available on Arsenal.com and the app from midnight after the game, as well as a full match replay.

matchweek 21 premier league fixtures

Tuesday, January 14

Brentford v Manchester City (19:30)

Chelsea v Bournemouth (19:30)

West Ham United v Fulham (19:30)

Nottingham Forest v Liverpool (20:00)

Wednesday, January 15

Everton v Aston Villa (19:30)

Leicester City v Crystal Palace (19:30)

Newcastle United v Wolverhampton Wanderers (19:30)

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (20:00)

Thursday, January 16

Ipswich Town v Brighton & Hove Albion (19:30)

Manchester United v Southampton (20:00)

All times GMT

Our under-18s kick off 2025 with a highly anticipated north London derby as we host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, January 11. The match will take place at Sobha Realty Training Centre, with kick-off scheduled for 11am (UK time).

Currently sitting ninth in the table with 10 points, we’ll be looking to start the new year positively and secure our first league win of 2025 against our local rivals.

In our most recent outing, we secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over Hertford Town in the FA Youth Cup third round, thanks to goals from Louie Copley, Andre Harriman-Annous, and a brace from Dan Casey.

The Opposition: Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham have made a strong start to their league campaign, currently sitting third with 18 points from 11 games, including five wins, three draws and three losses.

Their most recent fixture saw them secure a 3-2 victory over Middlesbrough in the FA Youth Cup, thanks to a late penalty from Tynan Thompson. Spurs are on a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions, with their last defeat dating back to late October.

The last meeting between the two sides came in the penultimate game of last season, where Spurs staged a late comeback to win 3-2.

A key player to watch is their prolific attacking midfielder, Luca Williams-Barnett, who has amassed an impressive 10 goals and four assists in just nine league matches this season.

How to Follow

Stay up to date with live commentary on our academy’s X page. A full match report will be available on Arsenal.com shortly after the final whistle.

Post-match, don’t miss exclusive interviews with Adam Birchall and one of our young Gunners, alongside highlights of all the key action.