Mauricio Pochettino wants to begin reshaping the history of the north London derby when he takes his Tottenham Hotspur side to Arsenal on Saturday.
The Argentinian is preparing for his first taste of this famous fixture since being appointed Spurs head coach in May and his side have the weight of history against them. The Lilywhites have occupied Arsenal's shadow for almost the entirety of the Barclays Premier League era, having finished above their bitter rivals just twice in that time, most recently in the 1994/95 campaign.
Pochettino is hoping to orchestrate a changing of the guard, though, starting with the short trip to Emirates Stadium this weekend.
"We are ambitious,” the 42-year-old said when asked at his pre-match news conference about finishing above Arsenal. "We [the coaching team] arrived three months ago and we need to make our way but we are focused on the game and know the history. But it is also important to write the history, starting now.
"This is a big game, a tough game, I know. It is always an important game. We need to prepare for the game, to have a good performance and be aggressive."
Spurs' form heading into the crunch clash has been mixed, although they did end a four-match winless run in all competitions by coming from behind to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 in the League Cup on Wednesday. But that came after a disappointing 1-0 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion on Sunday in the Barclays Premier League.
Pochettino rested several star names for the match with Forest and is likely to revert to a more familiar XI against Arsenal, but full-back Kyle Walker (pelvis) remains sidelined.
Arsenal, too, have been somewhat inconsistent in the early stages of the campaign. Arsene Wenger's men, who are unbeaten in the Barclays Premier League this season, scored three goals in just over three first-half minutes in last Saturday's 3-0 victory at Aston Villa.
However, in the matches either side of that win Arsenal were outplayed in a 2-0 UEFA Champions League defeat at Borussia Dortmund and knocked out of the League Cup by Southampton, albeit with a much-changed side in the latter fixture.
"It was a disappointment to go out against Southampton but there will be a completely different team tomorrow," said Wenger.
Indeed Saturday's derby at Emirates Stadium represents a chance to put that disappointment behind them and ushers in a sequence of three big matches for the club. After facing Spurs, Arsenal host Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday before a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on early pacesetters Chelsea next Sunday.
"Our start has been decent but we enter the second block of games now which will be crucial," said Wenger. "I only have my eye on the next game because it's a massive one but it's true we have an important week.
"North London derbies are always very intense and the players from both sides know each other so well.
Wenger believes Saturday's opponents will be more of a force this season after the managerial upheaval at White Hart Lane during the previous campaign.
"It's too early to judge a team but Tottenham will benefit from the stability they will have this season," he said. "I'm always a fan of stability because the manager carries the values of a club better than anyone else.
"I'm more proud to reach our targets and we've had to compete with Tottenham to get into the Champions League."
Wenger has cause for optimism, with his side having enjoyed plenty of success in matches against their local rivals. Spurs' last victory at Emirates Stadium came in November 2010 when a second-half revival earned a 3-2 triumph, but Arsenal have won the following three home league encounters, with two of those matches ending in 5-2 wins. The teams met on three occasions last term with the Gunners coming out on top each time and Spurs failing to score.
The Gunners welcome back Mathieu Flamini and Per Mertesacker, but Theo Walcott (knee), Olivier Giroud, Mathieu Debuchy (both ankle), Yaya Sanogo (hamstring) and Nacho Monreal (back) remain absent.
Arsenal (from): Martinez, Ospina, Szczesny, Chambers, Debuchy, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Arteta, Cazorla, Coquelin, Diaby, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Ramsey, Rosicky, Wilshere, Alexis, Campbell, Podolski, Welbeck.
Tottenham Hotspur (from): Friedel, Lloris, Vorm, Chiriches, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Kaboul, Naughton, Rose, Veljkovic, Vertonghen, Bentaleb, Capoue, Ceballos, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Lennon, Mason, Paulinho, Stambouli, Townsend, Adebayor, Kane, Soldado.
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