Mikel Arteta is aware of the impact a first victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could have on Arsenal's season ahead of Sunday's huge North London Derby.
Having beaten Tottenham 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in October, Premier League leaders Arsenal are looking to claim a first league double against their local rivals since the 2013-14 campaign.
That season also represents the last time Arsenal won a North London Derby as the away team, with the Gunners losing on all three visits to Spurs' new home since it opened in 2019.
With Arsenal looking to go 14 points clear of their rivals and maintain their advantage over Manchester City at the summit, Arteta is embracing the challenge ahead of them.
"We haven't won there, so that's the challenge we have ahead of us, we have to beat them at their place," the Spaniard said at Friday's pre-match press conference.
"We've had a few in the last few years – places where we didn't win in 15 or 20 years. We have a great challenge and opportunity on Sunday to get that one down.
"It's one of the biggest games of the season for us. We know how much it means right now for us in the table, and how much it means for our fans.
"We don't think about sending messages, we think about performing, playing well and earning the right to win the games.
"We know where we are. At Arsenal, we do not have any expectations other than winning games every three days, whoever we play against."
Spurs are looking to win four consecutive home league games against Arsenal for the first time in their history, with last May's 3-0 thrashing of the Gunners proving crucial as they beat their neighbours to Champions League qualification.
Reflecting on that defeat, in which Arsenal capitulated after Rob Holding's first-half dismissal, Arteta challenged the Gunners to showcase their improvement against their out-of-form hosts.
"There were a lot of things to learn and take from it," Arteta said of last season's trip to Spurs. "We are in a different place, but we have to show that by playing the way we want to play.
"Obviously, the way we have performed and the results that we've got, confidence-wise, have put us in a good position, but that's something you have to show in every single match against every opponent.
"Especially every away game brings a big challenge and this is no different. We have to prove we are good enough to go there and play our way to win the match."
Arteta was also asked about the club's pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk – who appeared to hint at his desire to join Arsenal by posting a praying emoji on Instagram as reports suggested the Gunners had tabled another bid on Thursday.
"You know we cannot talk about any other players. There is interest in things we would like to do to improve the team because we are a bit short in certain areas," Arteta said. "As a club, we are determined to improve the team in every window."
Asked if he had taken notice of Mudryk's social media activity, Arteta laughed: "I won't tell you how good I am with a phone!"
Vardy eyes 100-point season after Leicester's title win
Jamie Vardy has challenged his Leicester City team-mates to reach 100 points after sealing the Championship title with one game to spare.
The Foxes were promoted back to the Premier League without kicking a ball after Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday, but they needed to win on Monday to earn top spot.
Enzo Maresca’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Preston through Vardy’s brace and Kasey McAteer’s header, moving them to 97 points.
With one last milestone in their reach, Vardy wants to make sure they end an already successful season on a high.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can celebrate it tonight, but now we have another target which is 100 points.
“We are over the moon. It has gone by quick but it's a graft. Not many days off, I'll tell you that.
“The lads - they've given it all. Thoroughly deserved, and I'm glad we've had 5000 to come and celebrate with us. It's not like it's 20 minutes up the road."
After a run of just three victories from nine games in the league between mid-February and April, Leicester have now won each of their last three outings.
Maresca has praised his players for their hard work in what he labelled a “tough season”.
“Fantastic, it's been a fantastic season. The Championship is a tough season and very intense, but I'm very happy," said Maresca.
"Now it's time to enjoy the work of the season to bring this special club back to the Premier League. We deserve it.
“The last two days they have been fantastic. We got promoted, but it was difficult in game preparation. But we used all of today to prepare for the game, the morning and afternoon. It was good.”
Preston 0-3 Leicester City: Foxes seal Championship title in style
Leicester City cruised to a 3-0 win over Preston in the Championship on Monday to clinch the title with a game to spare.
Jamie Vardy was the star for the Foxes as he scored in both halves before Kasey McAteer made sure of the points with an unmarked header.
Abdul Fatawu had the chance to cap an already memorable night for the travelling fans but hit the post with his curler.
Preston slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat, while Leicester go into their final game against Blackburn Rovers with the knowledge that they will lift the trophy after the final whistle.
Data Debrief
Jamie Vardy has scored 18 goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Leicester player in the competition. He has also netted in his last three games, scoring four goals in total.
It was a dominant performance from the Foxes, who had 19 shots with 11 of those on target. At the other end, Preston only managed to test Jakub Stolarczyk once from their five attempts.
'I don't celebrate goals any more' - Postecoglou bemoans VAR after Arsenal defeat
Ange Postecoglou admitted "I don't celebrate goals any more" after VAR denied Tottenham during their north London derby defeat by Arsenal.
Spurs were beaten 3-2 by their rivals, who kept their Premier League title challenge on track, despite a late rally having trailed 3-0 at half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal, the hosts thought they had equalised when Micky van de Ven slotted past David Raya, However, the decision to award the goal was overturned following a VAR review with the defender adjudged to be offside.
Arsenal took advantage of their let-off with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz increasing their lead, while second-half strikes from Cristiano Romero and Heung-Min Son proved academic for Tottenham.
"Games aren’t refereed in the stadium any more," Postecoglou told reporters during his post-match press conference. "I don’t celebrate goals any more.
"You've got to wait for somebody down the road. It’s a shame, I don’t like it, but I’ve got to accept it."
The Spurs boss was pleased with his side's response after the break, and hopes his players will benefit from the disappointment of losing the derby.
"It's a big day for our club and our fans, and we didn't get the outcome we wanted, so it's obviously very disappointing," he added on SpursTalk.
"You can go out in the second half and accept your fate that it's not your day, but we had to show some resilience and fight - just for our supporters more than anything else. To be fair to the lads, they did that.
"We just lacked some focus today in key moments, particularly in the first half. Sometimes, you've got to feel the pain of it to learn that lesson properly."
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