Tottenham vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League score and goal updates as James Maddison and Declan Rice start derby

James Maddison spoke recently about Tottenham’s involvement in the title race – that is, playing teams who were in it, and the annoyance of themselves not being one.

“I’ve got no interest to be honest. We’ve got our own goals for the season and I’m not bothered,” he said.

“If we end up winning games against teams that are in that race, it makes no difference. We’ve got a job to do.

“We are where we are and that is something that gives us good motivation to want to be in the title race next year, seeing how good it is this year.

“For sure, that’s definitely the feeling. That’s filtered down from the manager.

“It’s annoying really, listening to three teams go at it for the title and we’re not in it, especially after the start of the season we had.

“How exciting is the title race this season? It’s amazing, it’s brilliant for a neutral. My friends and family, everyone is locked into the Premier League every week at the minute because it’s such a good title race.

“Frustrating not to be a part of that but we are where we are and we have our own job to do.”

Under 15 minutes until kick-off now at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

A reminder of the lineups:

Recent Premier League form:

On home soil, though, Spurs have won the last three, while Arsenal have won five of the last six away from home.

The top scorers in the league for each team are Son Heung-min (15) and Bukayo Saka (14).

And for Arsenal, it’s somewhat simpler…

They are one point clear at the top, having played one game more than Manchester City.

Effectively, they simply have to win all their remaining matches and hope that Pep Guardiola’s team slip-up somewhere along the way. One draw for City and all the rest wins, plus all Arsenal wins, means it goes to goal difference for the title – Arsenal currently have an eight-goal advantage there.

Much can yet change, though, and getting the job done today is the only really important aspect for Arteta and co.

Here’s the state of play for Spurs, then…

They currently sit in fifth, seven points behind Aston Villa – but having played three matches fewer. While that means it’ll be a packed schedule for Tottenham in the run-in, Villa’s second-half collapse against Chelsea yesterday does mean it’s effectively back in Spurs’ hands for fourth.

If they were to win all three they’d be two points ahead. If they win two and draw today, for example, it would be down to goal difference – Villa’s is currently five goals better, so a pair of 2-0s would leave only one in it.

All very convoluted and largely irrelevant if the Gunners spank their rivals here, mind.

Fifth will get a Europa League spot for next season in all probability after the Premier League clubs mostly exited Europe last week.

The champions have another game in hand after thrashing Brighton on Thursday night, as Guardiola’s side aim to win a fourth league title in a row – a feat that has never been achieved in the history of English football, and the title is still in their hands.

So, with four weeks to go, which team has the best fixtures and who has the hardest run of games to end the season?

Here’s where the title could be won and lost…

The overall picture for Spurs has changed since they lasted played on April 13, with fourth-placed Aston Villa able to establish a six-point advantage while fifth is no longer set to provide Champions League football.

It does not decrease the significance of Sunday’s clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Arsenal aware a victory would move them a step closer to a first title in 20 years.

However, Postecoglou referenced his time in charge of Celtic when he looked ahead to a crucial fixture between two bitter rivals.

Lineups are in – here’s the team news for the derby:

Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son, Werner

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz, Trossard

Team news is just a few minutes away – the Gunners are not expected to make many changes away from their regular strongest lineup, but Spurs continue to battle several injuries and left-back Destiny Udogie is done for the season.

We’ll see very shortly who Postecoglou and Arteta select for this massive match-up.

Mikel Arteta insists his sole focus remains on Arsenal’s last four games of the season and not on the results of their Premier League title rivals.

The Gunners will go into Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham top of the table, although the destination of the title is not in their own hands with reigning champions Manchester City just a point behind and with a game in hand.

With Liverpool also involved, the three-way title run-in has already provided twists and turns but – as interest peaks towards the end of the campaign – Arteta is happy to sound like a broken record as he aims to deliver a first league crown to Arsenal in two decades.