Tottenham Hotspur will travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on bitter rivals Arsenal this Sunday in a battle between fifth and first in the Premier League, and the stakes feel absolutely massive with both teams battling key injuries and facing very different track records and expectations this season, yet each team has the hope of competing for something more in 2025/26.
Ahead of this must-win matchup for both North London rivals, here are the five most likely Man of the Match candidates for both Tottenham and Arsenal this weekend.
Arsenal DM Declan Rice
There's a serious case to be made that Declan Rice has been the best player in the Premier League this season, as he has absolutely owned the pitch from the midfield position with his playmaking ability from deep and his status as a general in how he directs traffic on and off the ball.
Tottenham have found it very difficult to impose themselves in the middle of the park this season, even with Thomas Frank replacing Ange Postecoglou. And Rice could really put the Spurs offense in a stranglehold by keeping them in check with possession and timely reading of the game.
Tottenham RW Mohammed Kudus
If Tottenham are to pull off an upset win at the Emirates against the Premier League leaders, then they are going to need a strong performance from Mohammed Kudus on the right wing. Kudus has been an absolute gift for Spurs this past summer window, and you honestly shudder to think of where Spurs would be right now without his dynamism and creativity out wide.
Arsenal RW Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka is the best right winger in the Premier League, especially when looking at his all around game, unselfishness, and ability to progress play and defend down that side. With Viktor Gyokeres potentially out of the North London Derby, Saka is, moreso than usual, going to be the Gunners most important player on Sunday.
Tottenham DM Joao Palhinha
Joao Palhinha deserves nearly as much praise as Kudus for his swift integration into the Tottenham first team, and while he does have his issues on the ball, defensively, there is only one peer to Palhinha in the Premier League - and he is Moises Caicedo, playing for Spurs other big rivals Chelsea.
Going up against a suffocating midfield pivot that loves to have the ball, Palhinha, in his first North London Derby, is the real X-Factor for Spurs. If he can break up play, win possession frequently, and disrupt the rhythm Arsenal and Mikel Arteta like to have, he could be the one to spur an upset.
Arsenal DM Martin Zubimendi
Martin Zubimendi has been an even more inspired summer signing for Arsenal, but considering they spent more than 60 million euros to sign him as one of the most coveted No. 6's on this planet, that really shouldn't come as a surprise. Zubi was also going to be massively better than the flagrantly overrated Thomas Partey.
Yet even Zubimendi has exceeded expectations, and he is just as much of a Man of the Match candidate for Arsenal in this North London Derby as Rice is.