Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has claimed that the Gunners will "always be stronger" than Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal have finished above their North London rivals for 21 years in a row, although both are expected to compete for a top-four spot at least this season.
Spurs are also due to become the club with the highest capacity in London when they move to their new 61,000-seater stadium from the 2018-19 campaign, but Wenger is confident that Arsenal will continue to be North London's biggest club.
When asked whether Tottenham could become a bigger club than Arsenal, Wenger told reporters: "Look, I don't think about Tottenham like that. I think about Arsenal and make us as big as possible, make us stronger. stronger. We have a strong fan base, maybe the strongest in London and as long as we do our job Arsenal will always be the stronger.
"No position is guaranteed. It's about doing our job, but at the end of the day everything is decided by what happens on the pitch. That is what the size of a club is about, consistency at the top level....that is what size is about.
"Of course the better the two teams are, the better the derby will be. In every city you want that rivalry. At the moment both teams are doing well so that's why I think that is why this one is more interesting. You prepare to be at your best, that you prepare for the intensity of the game mentally and you keep you discipline and your composure despite that fact it is a big game. That is important."
Arsenal will host Tottenham in the first North London derby of the season on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
