Sunday’s North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will, in many ways, be the same as any other derby between the pair.
The meetings stretch back into eternity, drawing these two fierce rivals together in seemingly endless combat.
The nuances, the dynamics have occasionally been different, but much has been the same; the vitriol, the animosity, the angst and the aggression.
This year, however, the bout takes on a completely unfamiliar hue. No longer is this fixture a scrap for local bragging rights or a tussle in the ‘race for fourth’. Instead, these two giants are in the midst of a title challenge, and sit only three (Spurs) and six (Arsenal) points off leaders Leicester City heading into Saturday’s match—the 29th of the current Premier League campaign.
Naturally, few Tottenham fans could have imagined their side would be so close to the leaders at this late stage of the season and seeking to put a whopping six points between themselves and their bitter local rivals.
It could even have been so much better.
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