Mikel Arteta relishing ‘special rivalry’ as in-form Arsenal and Spurs do battle

Mikel Arteta talked about Arsenal’s intense rivalry with Tottenham ahead of the north London derby (John Walton/PA)

Mikel Arteta relishes “special” north London derbies against Tottenham and has called for Arsenal to take advantage of the Emirates’ electric atmosphere on Sunday.

Both Arsenal and Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premier League ahead of their derby-day clash.

And Arteta talked up the fixture’s history and its importance to the club and supporters as Arsenal search for a third straight victory over their neighbours.

“It’s a special rivalry. It’s a rivalry in the city and I really like the derby, there’s something between the two communities and it’s really intense,” Arteta said.

“It builds something even bigger with your supporters. I think it’s a game always in fixtures where you look straight away to see when you play that game because it’s special and there’s something emotionally attached to it so it will be a big lift if we manage to win it.

“No (better feeling than beating Tottenham) because you know what the game means to people and having the possibility in your job to make someone happy is a huge fulfilment and a responsibility we feel.

“You walk down the street and there’s a feeling (among fans) because of the history, the rivalry and that’s the beautiful thing when it’s taken in the right way during sport and we are so privileged to be involved in this sort of game.

“The atmosphere will be different. It will be more electric, there will be more energy in the ground and the pitch so we have to deal with that in the right way and take advantage of that.”

Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Spurs find themselves in second having scored 13 goals in five matches.

Tottenham struck twice in stoppage time to beat