Mikel Arteta relishes intense Arsenal vs Spurs rivalry in excellent form

Mikel Arteta is enjoying a ‘special’ north London derby against Tottenham and urged Arsenal to take advantage of the tense atmosphere at the Emirates on Sunday.

Both Arsenal and Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premier League heading into the derby match.

And Arteta spoke about the history of the match and its importance for the club and fans as Arsenal aim for a third straight win over their neighbours.

“This is a special rivalry. There is a rivalry in the city and I really like the derby, there is something between the two communities and it is very intense,” Arteta said.

“With your supporters, it creates something even greater. I think this is a game where there are always matches where you immediately look to see when you play this game because it is special and there is something emotional associated with it, so if we manage to win it, it will be big rise.

“There is no (better feeling than beating Tottenham) because you know what the game means to people and to be able to make someone happy in our job is a huge satisfaction and a responsibility we feel.

“You walk down the street and (among the fans) there’s a feeling because of the history, the rivalry, and it’s great when during sport it’s perceived the right way and we’re honored to be involved in these types of games.

“The atmosphere will be different. “It’s going to be more electric, there’s going to be more energy in the ground and on the field, so we need to get that right and use that to our advantage.”

Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Spurs are in second place, scoring 13 goals in five matches.

And Gunners head coach Arteta has highlighted the dominant form of his opponents and expects them to present him with a new challenge.

“Obviously they’ve had a really good start and they’re in a good moment and so are we, so it’s a big game and we’ll have to fight the right way to win it,” he added.

“They dominate games, they win games, they score a lot of goals, they are a dynamic attacking team and they go for it to bring a different approach to the game than we have played in the league. still.

“They have a new challenge, a new opportunity, a new coach who is doing very well and has managed to change the atmosphere at the club with a different style.

“So we need to be ourselves and deliver a performance that surpasses them.”

Arsenal returned to the Champions League after six years after beating PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in Group B in midweek.

Arteta said: “Of course (the win) should stimulate energy and belief and we have to keep doing what we are doing and understand that there will be a different game on Sunday and it will take the same performance or even better to beat them ” (Tottenham) and we need to keep going.”