Fearless Spurs can make history in north London derby spectacle against Arsenal

The much-anticipated north London derby will see sixth-place Tottenham take on second-place Arsenal, just three days after their League Cup clash went all the way to penalties.

Tottenham had an unexpectedly strong start to the season, picking up wins over Aston Villa and Brighton, but have since suffered some heavy defeats.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are flying high off the back of their famous 4-1 victory over title-rivals Chelsea last weekend when goals from Beth Mead, Amanda Illestedt and a brace from Alessia Russo earned them the win.

The win brought them level on points at the top of the WSL with Chelsea, only behind by three on goal difference.

The stage is set for a showdown at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the final round of matches before the Christmas break.

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A test for the 'Tottenham Way'

Tottenham and Arsenal have played each other a total of ten times across all competitions - and the best Spurs have ever been able to achieve is a draw.

But Tottenham goalkeeper Becky Spencer is confident that the team are ready to seize the opportunity to do what they have never done before.

She told talkSPORT: "The north London derby is a real spectacle for fans and for players.

"We're looking forward to it - we're looking forward to the challenges that we've got ahead of us."

While Tottenham have struggled against Arsenal in the past, this season they boast a new weapon in the form of manager Robert Vilahamn.

Vilahamn, whose preferred style of play has been likened to that of Ange Postecoglou, has already been transformational for the club.

Having picked up just 18 points across the whole of the last WSL season, Tottenham Women have already picked up 12 points so far this season under their new leadership.

Spencer described exactly how Vilahamn's attacking style of play had changed things on the pitch.

She said: "Everyone loves the ball and we see a lot more of it this season, which is great.

"If you look at our possession stats, we're trying to be up there with the best teams in that style."

Vilahamn's strategy has certainly seen success in a number of areas, not least in the form of striker Martha Thomas, who will no doubt be a contender for the WSL top scorer this season having already scored six.

But his attacking emphasis has also led to some devastating results, prompting questions about the efficacy of such an approach.

Their last two WSL games have saw them suffer particularly painful 7-0 and 4-0 defeats to Manchester City and Manchester United, respectively.

But Spencer said that such results were part of the team's adjustment to their new way of football.

She said: "No one's afraid of failure. We know that with the way we're playing, it's going to come with some failed moments but hopefully we're looking for the success in it."

And Spencer spoke about how her own goalkeeping role had evolved under Vilahamn's style, as she has become a key part of the team's offensive strategy, as well as being the lynchpin of their defense.

She said: "For me especially, I'm really enjoying it because it's something that I haven't really experienced so much in the past.

"I'm receiving the ball quite a lot and I've got a lot of freedom to play what I see and to make the right decisions for the team."

The North London divide narrows

If recent results are anything to go by, Tottenham could be closer to a first victory over Arsenal than ever before.

This will be the second time Arsenal and Tottenham meet this week after they faced off at Meadow Park in the group stages of the Continental Tyres League Cup.

The final score was 3-3, and Arsenal then earned an extra point after winning the penalty shootout 4-3.

Spurs had gone ahead three times, only to be pegged back by Arsenal on each occasion.

But the match will have filled Tottenham with confidence, having proved just two days before their meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that they are more than capable of victory over this Arsenal side.

Given that the aggregate score of all their past meetings is 36-7, Tottenham will be delighted that they managed to take Arsenal all the way in their latest fixture.

A big stadium for a big occasion

She said: "It is one of the best stadiums in the world. They've done such a great job with it and it's nice for us to be able to showcase what we're doing now as a team on the bigger stage, having more supporters there.

"And I think for us getting the supporters in is the biggest thing, putting on a good show, putting on a good game of football for everyone watching so more fans come back in future."

Before the 2023-24 WSL season kicked off, it was last season's North London derby at the Emirates that held the record for the highest ever attendance.

47,367 had turned up to show their support as Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-0 last September, just a few months after England's Lionesses won the 2022 European Championships.

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Since then, that record has been smashed through twice - first when Arsenal hosted Liverpool at the Emirates in front of 54,115 in this season's WSL opener, and then again last weekend when the top-of-the-table clash between Arsenal and Chelsea saw 59,042 brave the rain at the London derby.

But the North London derby has become a highly-anticipated fixture in the WSL calendar, and is expected to attract significant numbers of fans on both sides.