Jamie O’Hara believes Antonio Conte’s experience of Mikel Arteta will help Tottenham beat Arsenal in the North London derby on Saturday.
The Premier League leaders Gunners are hoping to get the better of their bitter rivals after Spurs, who propelled them to last place in the Champions League in May.
Arteta’s side have had a stellar start to the season with six wins from their opening seven games, but Spurs are in good form themselves and sit third – a point behind.
While second-placed Manchester City aren’t in action until Sunday, either Arsenal or Spurs will be well ahead of the table on Saturday night.
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes the game will be close but that could be decided by the coaches.
“I think the biggest thing in this game is going to be in the second half when Conte’s experience gets the better of Arteta,” O’Hara told talkSPORT.
“You saw Arteta against Man United making substitutions and he got it wrong and he makes mistakes in the big moments.
“Conte doesn’t make mistakes for them and he will watch this game and that’s when I think the game will turn.
“It’s going to be a close affair, but once he gets into the second half and goes into the final part of the game, Conte has his number on Arteta – a million percent.”
Arteta’s only blemish this season is the 3-1 loss at Old Trafford in early September, but his side’s reaction to the defeat was promising and sparked talk about whether the Gunners can mount a serious challenge for the title this season.
Arsenal bounced back a fortnight ago with a convincing 3-0 at Brentford, but Conte’s side visit followed by Liverpool’s trip to the Emirates next weekend will go a long way in determining their title credentials.
Spurs will be boosted by the return to form of striker Heung-Min Son who scored a hat-trick two weeks ago in the 6-2 thrashing of Leicester City.
The South Korean continued his good form by scoring twice for his country during the international break while Richarlison went one better, scoring three times in Brazil’s friendly wins over Ghana and Tunisia.
Tune in to talkSPORT for EXCLUSIVE LIVE commentary from Arsenal v Tottenham in the Premier League, Saturday October 1, kick-off: 12.30pm
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