Sunday's north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium arrives at a moment of stark contrast. Arsenal sit first in the Premier League on 58 points, 29 clear of their hosts, while Tottenham sit 16th and just five points above the relegation zone. Igor Tudor takes charge of his first game as Spurs head coach, appointed only eight days ago to replace the sacked Thomas Frank. Mikel Arteta's side come in as heavy favorites, with Arsenal having not lost this fixture in seven consecutive meetings.
Tudor inherits a Tottenham side that has not won a Premier League game in 2026. Their last five results include three defeats, a draw against Manchester City, and a draw at Burnley — all before Tudor arrived. Frank's dismissal came directly after a 2-1 home loss to Newcastle on February 10, a fifth defeat in nine league games that made his position untenable. In those 26 league games under Frank, Spurs managed just seven wins. Tudor brings a reputation as a short-term stabilizer — he previously rescued Lazio in March 2024 and secured Champions League football at Juventus — but he walks straight into one of English football's most intense fixtures with barely a week on the training pitch.
Arsenal arrive at the other end of the table but have shown their own vulnerabilities recently. Their last three Premier League results are a win over Sunderland, a draw at Brentford, and a 2-2 draw at Wolves on February 18 — a result that trimmed their lead at the top to just four points. In 2026, Arsenal have won only three of eight league outings, and fan sentiment has shifted toward frustration with Arteta. That said, their season record still reads 17 wins from 27, with 52 goals scored and just 20 conceded, the best defensive record in the division. A 4-0 FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic on February 15 offered a timely confidence boost heading into this fixture.
Arsenal have dominated this fixture in recent years. The most recent meeting, in November 2025, ended 4-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates — the first north London derby hat-trick in nearly 50 years. That result extended Arsenal's unbeaten run in the rivalry to seven straight matches, with Tottenham failing to win any of their last nine derby encounters. The overall head-to-head record now stands at 90 wins for Arsenal against 68 for Tottenham across all meetings. Arsenal have won three consecutive Premier League derbies for the first time in the club's history, and Tottenham's last league win against their rivals dates back to May 2022.
My prediction is an Arsenal away win at 1.57. Tudor may bring fresh intensity to Spurs, but new managers rarely produce instant miracles in derbies, and Arsenal carry a 29-point advantage for a reason. Tottenham are winless in seven Premier League games in 2026, while Arsenal have conceded just 20 league goals all season. The xG projection (Tottenham 1.11–Arsenal 2.01) supports a 1-2 finish.