Sunday 30 April 2017 07:36, UK
Which defence will come out on top in the north London derby? We examine the stats of Tottenham and Arsenal's star defenders...
Tottenham and Arsenal meet in the 50th Premier League clash between the north London rivals on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
A beleaguered Arsenal side, who have won just two of their last nine league away games, make the three-and-a-half mile journey knowing a defeat will confirm Tottenham's first league finish above them since 1995.
Spurs' irresistible home form, combined with Arsenal's struggles on the road, suggests the Gunners will be in for a tough 90 minutes on what is potentially their last visit to White Hart Lane.
Arsenal's annual withdrawal from the title race surprised few, however Arsene Wenger's recent unforeseen transition into a back three raised eyebrows. This is the first time the 67-year-old has amended his formation since gradually abandoning his favoured 4-4-2 nearly 10 years ago.
His tweaking has reluctantly indicated a willingness to adapt, following the successes had by both Spurs and Chelsea this season with a three-man centre-back partnership. Whilst Arsenal's troubled defence has come under regular scrutiny over the past few seasons, one man who has often been exempt from criticism is the stand-in skipper Laurent Koscielny.
In fact, over the past four seasons, the Gunners' record with and without the France international bears little resemblance:
His record in north London derbies is impressive too, suffering just two defeats from 12 appearances. With his presence on the pitch this season Arsenal have conceded a goal every 82 minutes - without him they concede on average every 50 minutes.
In order to stop Harry Kane, Dele Alli and co stretching Spurs' unbeaten league run against Arsenal to a record six games, he will have to preserve his reputation as one of the division's finest centre-backs.
An opposition player who can also stake claim to that title is Toby Alderweireld, who has won an impressive 31 of 34 attempted tackles in the Premier League this season.
The Belgian's impact for Mauricio Pochettino's title hopefuls this season is near identical to Koscielny's record over the past four seasons in N5.
Tottenham know they must keep winning to preserve their title hopes. Arsenal likewise as they pursue a 21st top-four finish in succession.
Spurs will take confidence from their current club-record run of 12 straight Premier League home wins. Arsenal's struggles have subsided recently with three wins from their last four league fixtures, as well as an FA Cup final on the horizon.
The old cliché is that form goes out of the window when it comes to local derbies, a straw that Wenger's side need to clutch at as they target just their second Premier League win at White Hart Lane since 2007.
