Arsenal vs. Tottenham: Three keys for North London Derby as sides aim to overcome injuries with statement win

Arsenal enter Matchday 21 in second place, while Spurs are in 12th

Ten places might separate  Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur heading into Wednesday's North London Derby, but several factors impacting both teams means the latest edition of the storied rivalry might be harder to predict than originally anticipated.

The implications of victory and defeat are different for both sides, who currently sit in different halves of the Premier League table. A win will keep second-place Arsenal in the title race, even if things are tilting away from them as Liverpool boast a six-point lead heading into Matchday 21. For Spurs, it marks a chance to rise up the table, even as hopes of finishing in a European berth fade. The stakes are similar for both sides, though, and extend beyond regional bragging rights – both could use a statement victory to reboot their seasons and perhaps refresh confidence in each team's overall direction.

Between their recent ebbs and flows in form and long lists of injured players, the circumstances put both teams on surprisingly even footing and with much to prove as it pertains to their aspirations for this season as a whole.