Arsenal travel to face fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, in a game that is crucial to the Gunners' Premier League title hopes.

Speaking ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta delivered a very positive update about the fitness of Jurrien Timber, who has been recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

The Dutchman had not played since the Gunners' opening weekend game against Nottingham Forest, until he made a return on Monday as he played 45 minutes for Arsenal's U21s in their 2-2 draw away to Blackburn Rovers.

And now, just four days later, Arteta has revealed that the 22-year-old is in contention to be in the squad for the North London derby:

"We have to make that decision tomorrow after the training session. He’s very close, I don’t know if this is too early, but he’s very close now. "

  • The title race

Arteta also spoke very positively about Arsenal's chances of winning their first Premier League title in 20 years, but insisted that the Gunners can only do their best:

"Now we are there. We have to look at ourselves and try to perform in the best possible way to win our matches and I can’t wait to see what happens.

"That’s what we discuss. It sounds a bit repetitive but it’s what we have to do."

When Liverpool lost away to Everton in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday, many football fans suggested that the title race is now a two-horse race, but Arteta shares a very different view on the matter:

"I don’t think so. I think this league is tremendously demanding and there can be still a lot of turns. We all know how difficult it is to win games in this league."

Arteta was also asked about the so-called 'super computer,' which has given Arsenal just a 26.6 per cent chance of winning the Premier League this season, and joked:

"I don’t know what to say, hopefully we can trick that computer and make it a bit higher!

"Maybe it needs to upload the software, we need to help it to upload the software, or give it more tools. Hopefully we can change that!"

  • Scheduling

Before the North London derby, Tottenham will have enjoyed more than two weeks without a game, whereas Arsenal have played four games during this time.

But Arteta did not seem overly bothered by Arsenal's intense schedule of late, compared to their opponents:

"We’re going to be fully ready. We’ve had a bit of time as well to recover and prepare from the Chelsea game. I’m sure the team is going to be fully ready to go again on Sunday."

The boss continued, when asked if playing every few days is an advantage:

"I don't know. What I can tell you is the boys are going to be fully ready on Sunday to play against a great opponent. They are going to make it very difficult for us and we are going to have to be very good to beat them."

  • His message to the players

As the pressure of the Premier League title race ramps up, Arteta has revealed the message that he is sending to the players at the moment:

"Enjoy the moment, try to navigate this in a natural way. They are super competitive at the moment, everything we’re doing in the training sessions is to compete, compete and compete.

"And it’s a really good sign, because we know what we’re going to have to do if we want to win it, and that’s it. We have to raise the bar every day in training to try to match that so that when we play our games, we’re ready."

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has earned plaudits this season for the style of play that he has instilled at the club, and Arteta was full of praise for his opposite number:

"I'm really impressed with what he’s done and also prior to that, because I knew him when he was in the Australian national team, and when he was in Japan as well.

"I followed him when he was at Celtic, and he’s always been super clear with a really clear direction and identity of how his teams play, and I love the way his teams play. So, I think he’s been very good."