Rafael van der Vaart

The north London rivals have been paired together in the tie of the round and while the match is unlikely to feature all the top stars from both clubs it’s likely to be a competitive affair.

Overall Arsenal have the better recent record against their local counter-parts, although they were beaten 2-1 by Spurs on their last trip to White Hart Lane.

The last time the two sides meet in the Carling Cup it was Tottenham who came out on top again, drawing the first leg of their semi-final 1-1 at the Emirates before spanking the Gunners 5-1 at home as they went on to lift the trophy in 2008.

Despite the opportunity to add some much needed silverware to their trophy cabinets the Carling Cup is likely to take a backseat with both sides in the Champions League this season.

Each side also have injury concerns to deal with and are unlikely to risk anyone who isn’t 100% fit for the game.

Tottenham (12/1 Carling Cup outright) will more than likely be without Ledley King, Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson and Jonathan Woddgate while Arsenal (16/1) won’t be able to call on Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Thomas Vermaelen.

Despite the lack of star players on show White Hart Lane is a sell out and new signing Van der Vaart says he has been made aware of the importance of the game by Holland team-mate Van Persie.

The Dutch midfielder only joined Tottenham three weeks ago but has already settled into life in English football.

Van der Vaart tucked away a penalty on Saturday to help Spurs on their way to victory over Wolves and has further endeared himself to the Tottenham faithful with his comments about Arsenal.

Despite Arsenal’s success since the Premier League was formed Van der Vaart has stated that Tottenham remain the bigger club in his eyes.

“Spurs are the bigger club,” said the midfielder.

“Everybody has been talking about the Arsenal match all week.

“Robin told me when we were together in the national team what a big game it is. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Tottenham (11/4 top-4 finish) have made a solid start to the season, picking up eight points from their first five matches to leave them fifth in the Premier League.

Van der Vaart says he is really enjoying himself at Tottenham having been frustrated with his lack of first team opportunities while with Real Madrid.

“We are a team who love to play football,” he added. “Although I have only been in England two weeks, I love it.

“The speed of the game is much higher than in Madrid. Teams like Wolves are really strong and run all the time. You don’t get a break.”

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.