Rivals facing crunch clash in different states of play

With Spurs back in action after long lay-off, the Gunners will hope to catch them cold

- Dan Kilpatrick

IS IT better to be undercooked or overtired? That is the question facing Tottenham and Arsenal ahead of Sunday's crunch north London derby, which could define both clubs' season.

Top-four chasing Spurs will go into the game on the back of a 14-day break since their dispiriting 4-0 defeat at Newcastle on April 13, the latest in a series of disruptions to the flow of their campaign which have frustrated head coach Ange Postecoglou.

Premier League leaders Arsenal, by contrast, will have played four times since their rivals' last game: the defeats by Aston Villa and Bayern Munich and then wins over Wolves and Chelsea.

There is a paradox in Postecoglou frequently expressing frustration at having so few matches this season (Spurs will play just 41 in total) when Arsenal's Mikel Arteta this week complained about his side's schedule.

"If you look in any angle, it's not right," said Arteta, after Arsenal had been made to face Wolves just 48 hours after returning from Munich. "Let's protect the players and do everything we can to give them the maximum time to help them recover and perform and do the show that they do every week."

Postecoglou has also expressed concerns that the sheer volume of highintensity matches will eventually impact the quality of football but, for the Australian, a stop-start campaign has been a telling factor in his side's scratchy form since the turn of the year.