Arsenal star explains ‘special’ feeling playing in the North London Derby that fans will love

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The North London Derby is just around the corner, and Arsenal will hope to make it a third consecutive victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mikel Arteta is facing several problems, as he could be missing his entire first-choice midfield in Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino.

Arsenal are now seriously short of options in the middle of the park, and no matter who starts in midfield, it will be an untested trio of players.

Arteta could bring in Jorginho, with the veteran showing last season that he is capable of stepping in at short notice to perform at a high level, and his experience could be crucial in the North London Derby.

Jorginho, who once scored a winning goal for Chelsea away at Spurs, has now explained why he relishes playing against Tottenham in derby matches.

• READ MORE: What is the North London Derby? Everything you need to know about the Arsenal and Tottenham rivalry

Arsenal star Jorginho explains why he loves the North London Derby

Speaking to David Seaman on the Seaman Says Podcast, Jorginho explained that he loves the North London Derby because of the passion behind the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham.

“Yeah, who isn’t?” Jorginho responded when asked if he was excited for the upcoming clash.

“It’s a special game for both sides, and it’s probably gonna be a really good game.

“Yeah I did, I’ve had good experiences there,” Jorginho claimed of his experience against Spurs with Chelsea.

“It’s a good thing as well, it’s part of the game. Until you don’t cross the limit, it’s so good and that’s what makes this sport special as well,” Jorginho added in reference to the history between Arsenal and Spurs.

“The emotions and the passion from both sides make the game really intense, as well as the atmosphere in the stadium and everything. We dream of these kinds of games when we are kids, so when gets to these moments, we just want to play those games and win.”

Jorginho aiming for North London Derby redemption with Arsenal

Jorginho was thrown into the deep end last season when Rice came off at half-time in the North London Derby, coming off the bench for some of his first minutes of the season.

The Italian then made a rare mistake as he was caught in possession, which allowed Heung-Min Son to equalise, and the game at the Emirates ended 2-2.

It was the worst moment of Jorginho’s Arsenal career, but he may now find himself in a similar situation as he may have to step in for Rice, who is suspended.

The 32-year-old was a figure of consistency in the second half of last season, and if he can step up in this difficult situation for Arsenal, he will hope to lead his side to victory.