As they are at the summit of the English top flight, it's really only about what the north Londoners themselves do.
Keep winning, and every opponent remains at arm's length. It's only when the victories dry up that they need to worry.
Arsenal in the north London derby groove
A north London derby against Tottenham is the one game where Arteta is almost certain to get the maximum out of his side too.
In the last six Premier League meetings between the sides, Arsenal have won five and drawn one, scoring 13 and conceding six.
The last three fixtures have also all gone the way of the Gunners, which is their longest winning run against Tottenham since the 1980s.
It's a fixture that the red and white half of north London tend to enjoy more than their Lilywhite counterparts, with Spurs having won only five league derbies in the last 10 years.
Furthermore, Arsenal have also lost only one of their last 32 league games at home to Tottenham (3-2 in 2010) and have scored in every one of their last 26 EPL home matches against them - the longest-ever home scoring streak against a single opponent.
In the last eight matches against Spurs at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners have hit the back of the net on at least two occasions, and were they to do so again, it would equal their record for scoring at least twice in successive games against the same opponent (nine vs Leicester, 1997-2016).
Spurs often give Arsenal a helping hand
Tottenham, who have had a player score an own goal in four of the last five north London derbies, have been better away from home this season under Thomas Frank, and putting a dent in Arsenal's hopes of keeping their distance at the top of the table will surely appeal.
However, they have lost three of their last seven matches and have only won three of their last 10, whereas the Gunners are flying and are unbeaten in 14 matches in all competitions.
With 20 fewer shots faced than any other team as well 10 fewer on target and just five goals conceded in their 11 Premier League games so far, it's clear how difficult it will be for Spurs to break down the Arsenal defence, which has been rock-solid for the most part in 2025/26.
It could be that Frank decides on a defensive, backs-against-the-wall performance, to invite the Gunners on to them before hitting them on the break.
When playing a back five against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, for example, the Spurs players were content to sit back and soak up the pressure, frustrating their more illustrious opponents in the process, and almost winning the game as a result.
Injuries set to play a part
The visitors might well be hoping that this match comes just that little bit too early for Arsenal's injured stars, too.
Gabriel Magalhaes remains out of action along with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, whilst late fitness tests will determine if Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres will play any part.
Gabriel's absence will likely be the most keenly felt, given that the Brazilian hadn't missed a minute of action before being sidelined.
To put that loss into context, Arsenal have won 61.5% of their league games when he's been in the starting lineup, but only 40% otherwise.
He's also become a huge threat at set pieces, an area in which the Gunners have become the dominant force in the league. This season, 50% of all their goals have come from set-pieces (10, excluding penalties, the most in the top-flight).
Tottenham are placed third in the league for set-piece goals with six, and it appears to have gone largely unnoticed that they've plundered 19 goals in the Premier League themselves already this season. Only Arsenal (20), Chelsea (21) and Man City (23) have scored more.
Frank has a raft of fitness issues to contend with, but if he can call upon those currently sidelined, it could put a different complexion on the game entirely.
Randal Kolo Muani is definitely out along with Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison; however, all of Cristian Romero, Pape Matar Sarr, Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Kota Takai, Lucas Bergvall and Mo Kudus are currently being assessed and might play some part.
Kudus could well be their biggest miss because he's created the most chances for his team in league play this season (15), and his 17 shots place him second in this metric only to Richarlison (19).
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