Football London

Former Arsenal star Thierry Henry has discussed his dislike for Tottenham Hotspur - plenty of years on from featuring for the Gunners in the North London Derby against the side.

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has revealed he still doesn't like Tottenham Hotspur, nearly 20 years on from his final appearance against their rivals in North London Derby. The French striker had plenty of memorable moments for the Gunners, with a fair few of them coming in the local clash.

Many will remember Henry's iconic solo goal against Tottenham in 2002, with the knee slide celebration going down in history - so much so that it is the inspiration for his statue outside the Emirates Stadium. Then there was more joy in 2004, when Arsenal won the Premier League at White Hart Lane, with the star leading the celebrations in front of their fiercest rivals.

Plenty of those displays were fuelled by a simple dislike for Spurs, which Henry has revealed he still has all these years later. The 48-year-old was discussing the rivalry before Arsenal's clash with Tottenham in the North London Derby, and outlined his reasons for it.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "They don't like me, I don't like them.

"And that's about it. We're talking about sport, it's nothing. I have [speak to] a lot of Tottenham fans, but when the game is on, it isn't about being friendly with them."

Henry was then asked if Sol Campbell's controversial move from Tottenham to Arsenal fuelled some of that dislike, which he went on to explain. He said: "You know what, when Sol came, I said to him 'Are you mad, or are you mad'? I said 'What did you do'?

"I was happy because I didn't have to play against him anymore, but at the very beginning I was like 'Did he actually realise what he did'? You know, and I'm happy that he did, I'm not judging what he did, I wouldn't have done it."

Over his whole Arsenal career, Henry ended up facing off against Tottenham 11 times - winning seven matches, drawing four and not losing a single one. The Frenchman's personal record was decent, with five goals and two assists in the North London Derby.

Henry's last appearance against Tottenham came in April 2006, where he bagged an 84th equaliser during their 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium. While it's been almost 20 years since his last match against Spurs, the former Arsenal man hasn't been shy when it comes to poking fun at his old rivals.

Henry recently made his first visit to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while attending a high-profile boxing event, where he would take a chance to aim another dig at the Lilywhites. He told DAZN: "Weird. I never came to the new stadium, I used to come to the old one and win a lot - but it's nice."

Even all these years later, it's become clear just how much the North London Derby meant to Henry, with that dislike carrying over beyond his playing career.

Here's the Tottenham Hotspur team that Thomas Frank has selected to face Arsenal in his first competitive North London Derby on Sunday

Thomas Frank has made five changes to his Tottenham team to face Arsenal for the short trip to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams have players back and available and for Spurs, in his press conference ahead of the game Frank revealed that back in training were attackers Mohammed Kudus and Randal Kolo Muani, with a face mask to protect his fractured jaw, as well as midfielders Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray and defenders Ben Davies, Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin, who played 45 minutes in an under-21s friendly last week against Leyton Orient.

The Spurs head coach has tasted victory against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team in the summer friendly in Hong Kong but this will be his first competitive North London Derby of the season and it comes at the Gunners' home.

Frank has gone with three at the back with Kevin Danso coming in alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero and Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie as his wing-backs with Pedro Porro on the bench.

Xavi Simons finds himself on the bench while Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha take to the centre of the pitch with Kudus back in the side with Wilson Odobert behind Richarlison.

Kolo Muani, Gray and Bergvall are all back on a strong bench with Xavi.

Here's the Tottenham team Frank has selected to face the Gunners:

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has been targeting a comeback from injury ahead of the North London Derby against Tottenham, and has sent a message to fans for the big clash

Martin Odegaard has revealed he is "getting closer" to a return from injury ahead of Arsenal's clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners will host Spurs in the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium, as they aim to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal have a three-point lead over Chelsea in the Premier League table, and it remains to be seen if Odegaard will make his return from the injury against Tottenham.

The Norway international has returned to training for the first time since picking up the injury in recent days, with Odegaard having missed each of Arsenal's last seven matches across all competitions.

Ahead of the clash against Tottenham in the North London Derby, Odegaard has offered an update on his recovery from the injury to give encouragement that a return is not too far away.

"This week I’ve been working really hard on my rehab – it’s going very well. I can feel I’m getting closer every day and getting towards the final stages where it's a lot more exciting," said Odegaard in his programme notes for Sunday's North London Derby.

"I’ve been doing some pitch work and training, so I really feel like I'm getting there. That's the best part of the rehab, when you're getting closer to joining the team, you can do a lot more on the pitch and you can be more aggressive in the rehab.

"I feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger. I can't wait to be back now, we're on a good path and it's looking good. I'm really excited.

"I guess that's one of the good things about being injured. You get hungrier and more excited to play football again. That's the good part of it, I’m desperate to get going again."

Arsenal will still have some injury concerns to deal with when they take on Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.

Gabriel Magalhaes suffered an injury over the international break during a friendly match with Brazil. Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are also on the injury list for Arsenal.

Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and Riccardo Calafiori could also make their returns from injury for the clash against Tottenham.

Here's the Tottenham Hotspur team that we reckon Thomas Frank will select to face Arsenal in Sunday's North London Derby

It's North London Derby day and Thomas Frank finally has some options to choose from as Tottenham make the short trip to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs entered the international break with 12 players unavailable for this fixtures only for Frank to reveal at his press conference on Friday that eight of them are now back in training. That means the Dane can call upon attackers Mohammed Kudus and Randal Kolo Muani, complete with a face mask to protect his fractured jaw, as well as midfielders Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray and defenders Ben Davies, Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin, who played 45 minutes in an under-21s friendly last week against Leyton Orient.

That means options galore for the Spurs head coach to select on his team and bench to take on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team in the first competitive North London Derby of the season after the summer friendly in Hong Kong.

Spurs also enjoyed an international break in which most of the Tottenham players either played just the one game for their country or in some cases neither, meaning a fresh squad for the first of a series of big matches that come in quick succession with a trip to Paris to face PSG in the Champions League coming in midweek.

On Sunday, the main choice for Frank in the defence comes at left-back between Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie with both having done well against Bukayo Saka in recent seasons. In central midfield, Sarr, Bergvall and Gray may not be fit enough to start and the choice for the head coach lies in whether Xavi Simons does alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha or whether the Dutchman, who scored for his country in the week, plays on the left of the attack.

Frank will be hoping Kudus is fit enough to start, and then he must choose between Richarlison and the masked Kolo Muani up front or even the in-form Mathys Tel and he will also have to decide if Kudus does start whether Brennan Johnson, Xavi or Wilson Odobert takes the spot on the left.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Frank will select to face the Gunners:

Gabriel has been an integral part of an Arsenal who are four points clear at the top of the Premier League but he has suffered a cruel injury blow

Jurrien Timber says Arsenal now have a squad capable of dealing with Gabriel Magalhaes' devastating injury blow.

Gabriel has been an integral part of a Gunners side top of the Premier League - and one that kept a record-equalling eight clean sheets before the 2-2 draw with Sunderland last time out.

But the centre-back will miss the north London derby with Tottenham on Sunday after injuring his thigh while playing for Brazil last weekend.

Timber, however, has highlighted the squad's strength in depth as they target another statement victory at the Emirates Stadium.

He said: "Look at our defenders. I’ve played centre-back, Riccardo (Calafiori) played centre-back, Myles (Lewis-Skelly) was midfielder, Ben White was a centre-back – Piero (Hincapie) and Cristhian (Mosquera) as well can play anywhere.

“There is less difference between those defensive positions now. With Manchester City too, we saw it with Nathan Ake who I know from my national team. He played centre-back, left-back. Then when I played against City, (Manuel) Akanji was at left-back.

"When I first came to Arsenal, I came as a right-back or a right centre-back. I’d never played left-back, but in my first game, that’s where I was. Like I say, you just evolve with the team."

Arsenal's eight consecutive clean sheets matched a 122-year-old club record, but they conceded two at Sunderland before the international break.

Timber says it's a team effort and added: "So far, so good. We need to keep it going, because it will all mean nothing if we start having goals against us.

"The mentality we have is that nothing's done yet. It's nice, but that's it. It's something to take with you as a good feeling, to keep you going as a motivation. It’s nothing to be proud of yet in my opinion. It shows we are getting better, it’s an indicator in that way, but that’s it.

"There's a good connection in the team. It doesn't even matter who plays in the back line, it's just the same connection, you know? And also that goes towards our midfield and towards our attack. When you come into this team, there is something that connects each other.”

EXCLUSIVE: Sol Campbell reveals advantage Tottenham hold as he makes prediction for Arsenal clash

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sol Campbell offered his prediction for the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium

Sol Campbell believes Tottenham have "nothing to lose" in the North London Derby - with all the emphasis on title-chasing Arsenal.

As the Gunners look to respond to their draw to Sunderland, Campbell has encouraged Mikel Arteta’s players to handle the challenge of facing such an unpredictable element.

Speaking on behalf of Paddy Power, he told Football London: “I think [Spurs] definitely have nothing to lose. I mean, that's the thing sometimes, when you've got nothing to lose.

“The second you become established and then people are relying on you, that's a different type of pressure.

“So, they've got nothing to lose, and so the defenders have to counteract that and make sure they're ready for the game because sometimes when you’ve got nothing to lose, you do things in certain scenarios.

“You do this run, but you probably never usually do that type of run, and you can surprise. That's the thing with a team that’s looking to upset, they're willing to try things.

“And sometimes you can't always predict, and that's the thing. I think Arsenal have to be wary that they have nothing to lose, and that's a scary place to be in.

“You've got to handle that because, if they lose two or three nil, who cares? But they might nick a 2-1 win, and that changes the whole perspective of the league.”

Campbell also revealed what Riccardo Calafiori’s new defensive partner might need to do in the wake of Gabriel Magalhaes’ injury. The Italian is known for his exuberant style that sees him break lines and pop up in areas no one would expect of a left-back.

Asked what he would do if partnered with someone like the 23-year-old, he said: “I think it depends on how comfortable you are with the space around you. Some defenders want people, players around them.

“Others are quite comfortable with green, a lot of space, and they can command that space, and they don't mind, they're quick and they're nimble, and they're very clever, and they make sure they're in the right position.

“I would say it depends on where you are in your career. I think if I'm 35 years old playing there and someone goes scarpering and I've got massive amounts of green, maybe not, I want my left back there.

“If I'm 23, 24, it's not a problem because I'm as quick as anything and have good positioning.” He added: “Ashley Cole was one of the first guys to be doing that. He used to pop up for goals and whether he's on the right side is another thing.

“Not on the right side, but he's definitely up and down, operating in the midfield and operating up and down the left side and scoring, popping up and scoring goals. But I don't think he made it across to the right side.”

football.london predicts the Arsenal team to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium, with a spectacle expected from the Gunners and those in the stands. Mikel Arteta has been hit with the blow of Gabriel Magalhaes' injury at the worst time.

That said, there is hope that some returning players may be considered. The replacement of Gabriel will have a big job to do, and there are several who could fill in for the Brazilian.

With that said, Arteta needs to select a winning formula for the match that aims to get back to winning ways. Here is how football.london predicts the Gunners' boss might set up.

David Raya

The Spaniard let in two goals at Sunderland and was somewhat at fault for the late equaliser too. He hopes to get back to keeping clean sheets in this North London Derby.

Jurrien Timber

The right-back has been in brilliant form for the Gunners, and his job will likely be stopping the tricky Odobert from threatening the Arsenal right flank on Sunday.

Cristhian Mosquera

With Gabriel Magalhaes out, a player needs to come into the back line and having played the most this season, the Spaniard stands out as the obvious choice.

William Saliba

This means the Frenchman moves over to the left centre-half slot. This said, it could as easily be Piero Hincapie who is instead given the nod over Mosquera on the afternoon.

Riccardo Calafiori

Having missed both of the international matches for Italy and having not trained until the weekend, there remains a question over Calafiori, but Myles Lewis-Skelly will be waiting just in case he is needed.

Martin Zubimendi

The Spaniard is being talked up as the best in the world for his position by Spanish media after another goal for his country. He now faces his first-ever North London Derby.

Declan Rice

A man for the big occasion, but will he be able to deliver on the biggest stage and find a special delivery, or three, for the Gunners this weekend?

Eberechi Eze

The man who nearly joined Tottenham in the summer now faces them. Martin Odegaard is hoping to rejoin the squad soon as competition for places steps up, but Eze is likely to start.

Bukayo Saka

A man who loves a goal against his North London rivals and another one here would be vital in hopes of continuing to chase the Premier League title.

Mikel Merino

With still so many question marks over all three natural centre-forwards, it does look like Mikel Merino is the likeliest candidate to start. And with a great record in big games, that should be encouraging.

Leandro Trossard

Scored the winner in the same fixture last season, the in-form man of the group, Leandro Trossard, would love to be the hero again on Sunday.

EXCLUSIVE: Sol Campbell's true feelings on Arsenal vs Tottenham and how he's embracing the rivalry

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sol Campbell discusses the North London Derby rivalry, with Arsenal hosting Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday

Sol Campbell believes that the famous north London derby "edge" will be centre stage on Sunday – and any title-race talk is just a sideshow.

The Gunners’ record has been so good in their half of the north of the capital, but the stakes are higher than ever, with anything other than a win not good enough for Mikel Arteta.

A Premier League title chase is on the line, which transcends any rival squabbles. For Campbell, it is these games which elevate the sport to another level.

The Gunners icon, speaking on behalf of Paddy Power, exclusively told Football London: “I think for me, there's always that edge, and I think it's always going to be there. That's the key, I think, that keeps certain aspects of football alive. You are alive; there are so many things connected with the game.

“Some families have fans on both sides in one family. Others just want to watch a great game. Players want to have bragging rights in north London.

“Everybody wants to go and sing songs in the pubs and things like that. So these kind of games, these derbies, I mean, up and down the country, there's derbies everywhere. Honestly, I think it just keeps football going to another level.

“I think it keeps people, you know, raging, happy, sad, ecstatic. It gives everything in 90 minutes. So I think these games are definitely the soul of the Premier League, these derbies up and down the country.”

Campbell has become synonymous with the derby having made the switch from Tottenham to Arsenal back in 2001 in one of the most dramatic moves ever.

It was a decision that saw anger directed at him from the Tottenham half, while he became forever loved for what he achieved under Arsene Wenger.

In the years since his retirement, Campbell has certainly learned to embrace the light-hearted, humorous side of his story, and early in 2025, released what would become a viral advert with Google.

Campbell revealed that despite a focus that would delight any Arsenal fan who watched it, the idea came from an unlikely source.

“Google came to me and said, ‘Do you want to do this situation?’ It's a little bit different, and the guy who actually came up with the idea is a Tottenham fan!

He added: “They did a really good job to help me through the whole filming. It's definitely one of the biggest adverts Google has ever done.”

There will be no time for jokes once the whistle is blown at 4:30pm on Sunday, however, and Campbell believes that for the Gunners this is a ‘special moment’ and coming back off the dropping of points before the break, momentum must be retained.

He added: “This is a special moment when you've got a great squad, you've got a great mentality. The manager has acquired and forged this top team from great products of the youth system to buy really cleverly in the market, and they know there's no time to switch off anymore.

“They've got to keep this momentum going because momentum can just go like a flash if you do not respect it, and I think everyone's on it, on and off the field. I think they're looking after themselves because they know how important it is.”

Arsenal are set to be without some big names when they face Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, but Mikel Arteta has other options at his disposal

Mikel Arteta has four huge decisions to make ahead of the north London derby. Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they each look to return to winning ways.

Before the international break, Sunderland held the Gunners to a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light. The Lilywhites also dropped points, squandering a stoppage-time lead to Manchester United on home turf.

Since Arteta replaced Unai Emery in the dugout, Arsenal have only lost to Tottenham three times, with two of those coming in the Spaniard's debut campaign. The third and most recent defeat to Spurs was in May 2022, when Harry Kane dumped the Gunners out of the race for Champions League qualification.

Arsenal have won five of their six meetings with the Lilywhites since. This weekend, the Premier League leaders have the opportunity to record a fourth consecutive victory against Tottenham for the first time since 1989.

So, with history to be made, football.london has looked at four key decisions that could swing the tie in Arteta's favour.

Arteta faces Saliba dilemma

Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a thigh injury over the international break. The 27-year-old defender was forced to come off during Brazil's 2-0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday.

He's due to undergo another scan next week; however, Arteta has already confirmed the centre-back could be out for a matter of 'weeks'. Fortunately, the Spaniard has a wealth of options at his disposal when selecting a new partner for William Saliba.

Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie have shown great promise since joining the Gunners from Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively, in the summer transfer window. Jurrien Timber and Ben White could also replace Gabriel in the backline, though they're often preferred at right-back.

Arsenal trio push for starring role

With Viktor Gyokeres somewhat a doubt for the north London derby, Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino, and Leandro Trossard will have been looking to catch Arteta's eye in training this week. The first of the three is the only natural striker on paper, although he's recently come back from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Jesus has only recently returned to first-team training as he looks to rebuild his fitness following an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Merino has impressed whenever he's been asked to lead the frontline, while Trossard's eye for goal makes him a worthy candidate for the vacancy up top.

Lewis-Skelly battles for Arsenal chance

Riccardo Calafiori missed each of Italy's final World Cup qualifiers due to injury. With question marks over the 23-year-old defender's availability, Arteta could hand Myles Lewis-Skelly his first Premier League start of the season.

The Hale End graduate faces tough competition for a place in the starting lineup, with Hincapie also capable of playing left-back. Timber has played on the opposite flank in the past, so he too could cover Calafiori.

Frank helps Arteta make Eze decision

Thomas Frank aimed a cheeky dig at Eberechi Eze in his pre-match press conference. The Dane was asked whether he thought Tottenham had wrapped up a deal for the former Crystal Palace maestro before Arsenal swooped in.

"Who's Eze?" replied Frank with a straight face. After a brief awkward silence, the Spurs boss added: "Very good player. He plays for Arsenal – a team we want to beat on Sunday."

Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke are both close to returning from spells on the sidelines. While it's unlikely that they'll start on Sunday afternoon, Frank's remark will have given Eze the ammunition he needs to fire Arsenal to victory.

Eberechi Eze was expected to join Tottenham in the summer before Arsenal swooped to sign the England international

Thomas Frank has responded to questions regarding Eberechi Eze's rumoured transfer to Tottenham Hotspur over the summer.

Eze was heavily linked with a move away from Crystal Palace during the summer transfer window. Unlike some other players, the Englishman continued to feature for the Eagles until his £67.5m move to Arsenal earlier this season.

The 27-year-old closed out his time at Palace with an FA Cup and a Community Shield. Eze is now enjoying life at Arsenal, but there was a moment where he looked set to join Spurs instead.

Tottenham had struck a deal with Palace in the summer, but Mikel Arteta's side hijacked the move and secured Eze’s talents for themselves. An injury to Kai Havertz accelerated Arsenal's desire to sign the attacking midfielder.

Ahead of this weekend's North London Derby, Tottenham manager Frank was asked whether he thought the club had secured the deal for Eze before Arsenal swooped in for the England international.

With a straight face, Frank replied: "Who's Eze?" After a moment of laughter from reporters who recognised he was joking, the Spurs boss added: "Very good player. He plays for Arsenal – a team we want to beat on Sunday."

Now a few months have passed since Eze chose Arsenal over their bitter rivals, Frank can laugh about it. However, looking back at the time the deal collapsed, it didn’t seem a laughing matter for the 52-year-old.

Without naming any players, Frank said in August: “There's been a lot of rumours – and a lot of times where there's nothing in it. There must be someone out there who thinks it's good fun to put the rumours out there.

"There's been a lot of links and will continue to be. To be very general, I don't want any players who don't want to come to the club.

"If they don't want to come here and wear this fantastic badge, we don't want them here. That's very clear, and I imagine the fans feel exactly the same. That's a key message."

Eze, a childhood Arsenal fan, has since explained why he chose the Gunners. He said: “I thought about coming back from the moment I understood other clubs and what it meant to become a pro.

"I've always thought: 'Arsenal is where it's at, that's what I want to achieve, what I want to get to.' I've been on trial for four years, if I'm being honest.

"Every time I came to Arsenal, I looked at the seat that I used to sit on when I used to come to games with my brothers, and I've said every single time: 'this is it – it's time, this is an opportunity.' I'm not going to say I knew it was going to happen, but that's the feeling."

Frank will now be focused on beating Arsenal on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. If he is to do so, he would become the first manager to beat Arsenal away from home in the league since Harry Redknapp in 2010.