New Tottenham Hotspur head coach Igor Tudor will be thrust straight into the firing line when he takes charge of his first game on Sunday (16:30 GMT), with bitter rivals and Premier League leaders Arsenal the visitors.
Spurs decided to part ways with Thomas Frank after a loss to Newcastle United at home left the team in relegation trouble. They go into this weekend five points clear of the drop and without a win in their last eight Premier League games.
As for Arsenal, they started the weekend just five points clear at the top after a surprise draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday. They have played a game more than their nearest rivals Manchester City too.
Tudor looks to avoid the trapdoor
Depending on your frame of mind, a home fixture against Arsenal could be the best or worst possible start for Tudor.
On the one hand, the match represents something of a free hit given the respective position of the two teams and a positive result could spark something in what has been a dejected fanbase. But a bad defeat and a jubilant away end would be far from ideal.
Spurs' recent record in this fixture does not make for great reading. They have lost their last four against Arsenal and their last three games on home soil against their rivals; that's as many as they suffered in the previous 23 north London derbies they hosted.
Tudor has tended to get off to a good start when he's in a new role. He has won his first match in charge as a manager with his last five clubs, although he surely won't have had a tougher opening assignment than this in his coaching career.
His biggest challenge at Tottenham will undoubtedly be bringing some creativity to an injury-ravaged squad. Spurs have actually outperformed their xG by more than any team in the top flight this season, with only Burnley,Sunderland and Wolves unable to better their xG for the season of 27.40.
It means, in theory at least, that if it wasn't for some clinical finishing that things could potentially look even worse for Spurs.
Not easy for Eze and Arsenal
Make no mistake, Arsenal are starting to feel the pressure. The Gunners, usually so defensively strong and consistent, tossed away more points from a commanding position on Wednesday.
The late surrender at Wolves continued a recent theme too. Only Crystal Palace and West Ham - both eight - have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League in 2026 than Arsenal's seven.
It's far from ideal, especially for a side whose reliability at the back has been their superpower in recent seasons.
Do the Gunners go gung ho at Spurs or will they try to rediscover their defensive edge?
It will be intriguing to see what personnel Mikel Arteta selects, especially when it comes to Eberechi Eze. The midfielder, who shunned Tottenham to join Arsenal in the summer, was the star of the show when the teams last met, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win.
But since then, the former Crystal Palace midfielder has struggled.
Eze does have six goals in his last four games against Spurs, including three in two games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. If any stage - and any opponent - is going to inject some impetus into his debut season with Arsenal, perhaps it is this one.
