IN what seems like a never-ending stream of massive games, tonight's north London derby truly is of epic proportions.

This evening, Spurs take on Arsenal at White Hart Lane as we begin our hugely challenging but potentially very rewarding Premier League run-in.

The clash comes at a good time for us, as the inexperienced Gunners struggle to deal with the rigours of a long, hard season and our front-men seem to have remembered how to put the ball in the back of the net.

Today, talismanic (in that he's so wee someone could put him on a chain and wear him round their neck?) midfielder Cesc Fabregas said the Arsenal side lacked “maturity” and a “winning mentality”, which explains yet another season in which they have failed to get their grubby mitts on any silverware.

Putting aside cheap gags about players having to get permission slips to go to training and only being able to play weekend matches because they have to be tucked up in bed before 8pm on a school night, the young Catalan has a point.

However, form is temporary and tonight's match will surely be an almighty test, although confidence must be drawn from the business end of last season, when we beat top sides to get over the line and into fourth spot.

Something similar is required again this year but our squad is arguably better and while our exertions in the Champions League will certainly have taken it out of us, the psychological boost from mixing it up with – and, in some cases, beating – top European sides cannot be underestimated.

Moneybags City are showing signs they might stutter when the pressure is on and a win this evening would put us level on points with the team from the blue nine-tenths of Manchester.

And they, lest we forget, have a cup final in the midst of the end of the league season to worry about.