Arsenal have competed in some heated North London derbies in the past, and have faced some top-level players.
Although Arsenal are by far the more successful club, Tottenham Hotspur have had some noteworthy players in recent years who have gone on to win silverware elsewhere.
Gareth Bale and Luka Modric both became incredibly successful at Real Madrid after leaving Spurs, and Bale in particular caused Arsenal nightmares in some derbies.
Harry Kane was also a menace before he left for Bayern Munich, who Arsenal also faced again in the Champions League this season.
However, former Arsenal left-back Sylvinho, who is currently managing Albania at Euro 2024, has now picked out a surprising name as a difficult player he faced in North London derbies.
Sylvinho picks out Stephen Carr as tough player to face in Arsenal vs Tottenham clashes
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, Sylvinho highlighted how some opposition players required extra tactical preparation to face, and named former Spurs defender Stephen Carr as a particularly tough opponent.
“Stephen Carr, Tottenham: strong, good guy, always difficult playing against him. So I’d start thinking: ‘In a month we have this derby and I have to prepare really well, because on my flank they have a really strong player,'” he stated of his pre-match preparation routines.
Carr made 272 appearances for Spurs in an 11-year spell, and as a right-back, he would directly face Sylvinho, who loved to drive forward from left-back.
Sylvinho and Stephen Carr North London derby records compared
Carr spent a lot more time in North London than Sylvinho, and faced Arsenal in 12 North London derbies.
The Irish defender won just one of these encounters, in a 2-1 win in 1999 which saw 11 yellow cards and two red cards given, including one for Carr in a heated affair.
He lost five of these encounters, whilst Sylvinho also recorded one derby win, but in just three games.
Sylvinho won once, drew once and lost once, and recorded an assist in the 1-1 draw in December 2000, where Carr was also playing.
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The Brazilian’s preparation for such games showed that he was destined to become a manager, with a big emphasis on specific player preparation, and he will now hope to continue what has been a fine stint in charge of Albania so far.