The North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur is one of the most eagerly-awaited events in the calendars of both sets of fans. The two clubs have faced one another in top-flight football 156 times since the 1900s, and each hotly-contested derby is accompanied by a crackling atmosphere throughout this populous corner of the city as Londoners exchange taunts, quips and largely good-natured banter about their predictions for the match.

The 156 clashes to date have produced 66 Arsenal wins, 49 Tottenham victories and 41 draws, and plenty of memorable moments. Who can forget the nine-goal thriller at White Hart Lane in 2004 - Noureddine Naybet opened the scoring for Spurs late in the first half, and despite his teammates Defoe, Ledley King and Kanoute joining him on the scoresheet they were at last out-Gunned with the match finishing 4-5 to Arsenal.

In 2006, the last derby ever to be hosted by Arsenal at the old Highbury ground was, again, full of excitement and controversy. Spurs were dominant, but when Robbie Keane capitalised by tapping in a brilliant cross from Edgar Davids in the second half, Gunners players complained that he should have stopped play because Emmanuel Eboue had been injured in a collision with teammate Gilberto. Managers Arsène Wenger and Martin Jol almost came to blows on the touchline over the incident and had to be kept apart by the fourth official, while Davids was eventually sent off and Thierry Henry saved face for his side with a typically stylish goal in the 84th minute leaving the teams with a point apiece.

The next derby will fall just before Christmas, on 22 December 2007, at Arsenal's huge new Emirates stadium which is regularly filled to almost its capacity of 60, 432. It's set to be a cracking game as the home side will want to defend their place at, or near, the top of the table and please fans with the stylish, flowing football that has become their trademark. They are having a brilliant season so far, shaking off concerns about how they would fare after the departure of the legendary Henry along with Freddy Ljungberg, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell, to become unbeaten in all League and Champions League games as of mid-November.

The story at Tottenham couldn't be more different - after a promising pre-season and transfers leaving Martin Jol apparently spoilt for choice with four world-class strikers, it's been a shocking start with pitiful results plunging Spurs into the relegation zone in October and off-pitch drama leading the popular Jol to leave the club amid accusations and ugly rumours surfacing during an uninspiring UEFA cup match. Under new manager Juande Ramos, previously of Sevilla, Tottenham have started to find their feet, maintaining clean sheets in wins against Blackpool, Hapoel Tel-Aviv and Wigan.

But it remains to be seen how the struggling Spurs will fare against the really big boys of the Premier League and in the derby they'll be looking to continue their sharp ascent of the table and show what they're made of.

It's definitely going to be one to watch and as a Saturday afternoon fixture (3pm) a few warming beverages will surely be called for afterwards. For travelling fans, the Emirates is easily accessible by train and Tube and there is a good selection of hotels in Kings Cross nearby so that the big match can be transformed into a Christmas city break - the centre of London's not exactly short on attractive destinations for non-fanatical family members, too.
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Paul McIndoe is an online, freelance journalist and keen hillwalker. He lives in Edinburgh with his two dogs.