Stream the North London Derby that could define futures on Showmax Pro

In a top-four battle that’s had so many twists and turns, we could be coming down to its effective finale on Thursday, 12 May, when Tottenham host Arsenal – available to stream live on Showmax Pro courtesy of SuperSport.

With the two teams in touching distance of each other plus the possibility of bringing Chelsea into the mix in the race for UEFA Champions League* qualification, here are the key points going into the 191^st North London derby.

History of battling for position

Any respectable Arsenal fan celebrates St Totteringham’s Day – the day that the club has accumulated enough points to ensure that they will finish above their old rivals on the league table.

The problem for the Gunners is that they haven’t had that experience for six years, since they remarkably overtook Spurs on the final day of the season to finish second, which was also the last season that they qualified for the Champions League*.

While these bragging rights are a matter of great pride for both sets of fans, both have been somewhat embarrassed for the last couple of seasons that it’s been cheapened into a battle that’s been nearer the middle of the table than the top.

The stakes could be very high for this one, as a return to Europe’s elite competition is so key financially. A proper platform to bring in more quality players exists for the club that’s successful. Another season of trying to keep up with limited means awaits the unsuccessful.

Resurgence of both teams

So often, a North London derby is characterised by one side being in form and the other experiencing a slump.

For Thursday’s game, we’re in the rare situation of both teams being in impressive form.

After a disastrous start of the season that made them show up in all the memes, Arsenal have consistently clawed their way up the table in a recent run that’s included wins against Chelsea and Manchester United in the last few weeks.

It’s been a similar case for Tottenham, who have established themselves as one of the leading attacking sides in the league with their trio of Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski, which has seen them blow many sides away.

While the tension of these derbies can often have a negative effect on the quality of the football, these two clubs will back themselves to put on a great spectacle.

The importance of top four for both clubs and managers

Both Mikel Arteta and Antonio Conte have earned respect around the league for how they’ve gone about their jobs, but ultimately it will be a top-four finish that would define success or failure for both.

For Arteta, he inherited the unenviable task of rebuilding Arsenal after the Arsene Wenger era. While an FA Cup triumph two years ago was a step in the right direction, a spot in the Champions League* trumps any domestic knockout silverware for the bigger clubs.

While he’s steadied the ship at the club, a top-four finish will be vindication that he is the man to stick with to see if they can regain past glories.

For Antonio Conte, he arrived at Tottenham as a Premier League winner and elevated the expectations by his mere presence. It’s clear from his comments about transfer windows that he doesn’t rate his current squad nearly as highly as what he had at Juventus, Chelsea or Inter Milan and has been almost begging for more transfer funds to be available to build a team in his vision.

Even if they do qualify for the Champions League*, whether he gets that extra funding out of chairman Daniel Levy will be another battle, but finishing in the top four ensures that he’s done what he can to get a great bargaining chip in his battle for power at the club.

Every way you look at it, this game appears to be a turning point for both clubs not just for next season, but potentially further than that.

Stream the epic battle between Tottenham and Arsenal on Showmax Pro, courtesy of SuperSport, on Thursday, 12 May 2022.

*Please note that Champions League games are only available to live stream on Showmax Pro in South Africa.

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