Mikel Arteta urges under-fire Arsenal to show what they are made of against Spurs after Wolves setback
Arsenal face Spurs on Sunday looking for a response following their 2-2 draw with Wolves; Igor Tudor insists Spurs won't go down under his watch; watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4pm on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm
Friday 20 February 2026 17:04, UK
Mikel Arteta has encouraged Arsenal to "show what they are made of" in Sunday's north London derby against Spurs as they aim to bounce back from their draw with Wolves.
Arsenal's title credentials have been questioned after they threw away a two-goal lead to the Premier League's bottom club at Molineux, giving Manchester City the chance to close the gap to two points.
Pep Guardiola's side could cut the deficit when they host Newcastle on Saturday, but Arteta insists his players are ready to get back on track in Sunday's game, which is live on Sky Sports.
Wednesday's result means Arsenal have now lost seven points from winning positions since the turn of the year, and only won only two of their last seven Premier League games.
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"What I have seen is a tremendous reaction again and I am not surprised at all," said Arteta.
"When you lose points with the last kick of the game and in a very unpredictable manner, nobody can really understand that.
"But this is football and that is the beauty of football.
"That was a chapter. We have a long season and chapter 27 says we drew against Wolves in this manner.
"What I am interested in is the next one. What is this team made of? What do we do about this and how we write our own destiny from here and going forward?
"That's it. You have to react to it because life moves on and as unfortunate as it was, there is nothing we can do. However, what we can do a lot about is what happens next."
Asked if Sunday's derby, which will see Igor Tudor take charge of his first game with Spurs 16th, is the biggest in recent memory, Arteta added: "It's the one that is next and it is one we cannot wait to play.
"We'd all love to play the game today to get that feeling we have in our tummies and use it in the right way.
"We have to show it on Sunday."
Arsenal could welcome Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz back from injury at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Arteta saying there is a "big possibility" they will be available.
Tudor '100 per cent sure' of Spurs survival
While Arsenal are competing for the title, Spurs are hovering only two places above the drop zone.
But new boss Tudor is adamant they won't be relegated under his watch.
Asked how confident he was that Spurs would be in the Premier League next season, Tudor insisted: "One hundred per cent."
Tudor had earlier stated that he did not want the players to be thinking about a relegation battle, only the work they need to do to improve.
"This is not important. Fighting for every position, relegation, first position, UEFA places, you achieve the position because of what you do during the week and on Sunday. It is a consequence of this. It brings you nothing if you think about relegation.
"All these goals are far away. I never give them importance. I never speak about results and what we want to achieve at the end of the season. I don't believe in this. I believe in today's training. This is all I want the players to think about. The position is a consequence of this.
"Five points [above the relegation zone], 10, two, it is the same. We need to be focused. Let's focus on this and see what we can attain. Looking down or up brings you nothing."
Asked what he had said to his players, Tudor replied: "The players want to have clarity about what we want. This was the goal. To send a message about values and how we want to play."
Of facing Arsenal in his first game, he added: "It is an amazing game to restart. I have heard a lot of good things about them. We need to show them that we care and we want to make a change immediately."
He would not be drawn on who will captain the side in the absence of the suspended Cristian Romero. "You will see on Sunday."
