Of the flurry of activity that took place during the January transfer window, two deals stood out above all others: Robbie Keane's return to Tottenham Hotspur after a mere six months on Merseyside, and Andrei Arshavin's protracted move to Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg.
The script for the north London derby therefore could not have been written better since both could make their respective debuts for their new clubs, in Keane's case his second for Spurs having spent six years at White Hart Lane.
Matches between the two fierce rivals are always keenly anticipated.
This one was always going to have extra spice with Arsenal, in the rare position of being outside the top four, desperate not to lose touch with the Champions League places.
Tottenham are equally desperate to avoid the humiliating threat of relegation and move away from the increasingly congested pack towards the bottom.
Despite their progress to the Carling Cup final, where they will face Manchester United at Wembley next month, Spurs - currently 14th but just a point above the relegation zone - are finding it harder than expected to move into a position of respectability.
Manager Harry Redknapp believes the 28-year-old Keane, who never settled at Liverpool and has been made captain on his return to Spurs, could be the missing link, especially with Jermain Defoe - another ex-Spur who recently returned "home" - out injured for a possible 10 weeks.
"Robbie can give an awful lot. He is a big personality and we are a quiet team," said Redknapp.
"If Robbie has something to say, he is going to say it. He is a leader."
Redknapp's counterpart Arsene Wenger has been reluctant to splash the cash in January but is not used to seeing his Arsenal team outside the top four, or with as many injuries. Hence the signing of the highly-rated Arshavin, whose move took place at the eleventh hour after weeks of persistent speculation.
Wenger believes the arrival of the Russian playmaker can prove to be the influential force which kickstarts Arsenal's season.
"Andrei Arshavin is a player I have admired for a long time," he said.
"He is a versatile player with great experience, who will add real quality to our squad.
"He is an exciting impact player with a huge amount of ability and has been an influential force with both Zenit St Petersburg and the Russian national team in recent seasons."
The Russian, who starred at Euro 2008 and has 41 caps, may have to prove his fitness to play against Spurs but whether he starts or not, tomorrow's lunchtime kickoff is a crucial encounter for both teams and is followed by Manchester United's latest attempt to add to their remarkable number of clean sheets.
Under normal circumstances, a trip to West Ham would not pose too many problems for Alex Ferguson's team, but the Hammers, unbeaten in eight games, are in their best form of the season under manager Gianfranco Zola and the tie promises to be high on entertainment and excitement. "The team is strong mentally, technically and physically. We are building something important here and you can smell the atmosphere," said the West Ham manager.
Having narrowed the gap on leaders United by their win over Chelsea last weekend, Liverpool cannot afford to slip up at Portsmouth, themselves badly needing a lift after sliding ominously into the drop zone.
This is effectively a must-win game for both teams which makes it so intriguing.
Another defeat for Pompey and Tony Adams could lose his job after only a brief spell in charge while Rafael Benitez's chances of steering Liverpool to their first EPL title for a generation would suffer a huge dent if they go down on the south coast.
Another bottom-versus-top encounter takes place at Ewood Park where Blackburn Rovers, improving rapidly under Sam Allardyce, need to turn draws into wins and Aston Villa need to maintain their Champions League push.
Chelsea still believe they can win the title but to do so will have to start hitting top form soon, starting at home to Hull.
Perhaps no team needs a lift more than Middlesbrough who are becoming the punters' favourites for relegation.
Elsewhere, Sunderland play Stoke, West Brom meet injury-hit Newcastle, Wigan take on Fulham and Everton host Bolton.
- The author is a football expert based in England
