Having featured in numerous Manchester derbies during his five years at City, Gabriel Jesus is no stranger to matches transformed by great rivalries, but he is relishing the prospect of Saturday's meeting with Tottenham.
The Brazilian striker has immediately established himself as a fan-favourite with four goals and three assists to his name since moving to north London, and another impactful display against our local rivals will only increase that quickly-formed bond.
However as much as he is looking forward to experiencing derby day, he is also determined to get the three points everyone craves.
"I've played a few derbies before and I can feel what it means to play a derby game," he said. "Of course, I've never played here before! The north London derby will be my first and I want to win, like every game.
"I understand it's a derby – it's a game different from most – but at the same point, it's a game. It's a game we have to focus on and do our job. Because we are playing at home, we have to think about just doing our game. It's our home."
Much has been made of Mikel Arteta's preparations before big games, such as inviting club photographer Stuart McFarlane to provide the team talk ahead of last season's visit of Spurs, which helped inspire us to a 3-1 win.
As a relative newcomer to the dressing room, Jesus also notes the opportunities provided for individual preparation, which are equally as important as the collective nods to the past.
"Everyone, I believe, has their individual preparation," he added. "I do think players like Bukayo do things I don't do, so it's individual. But sometimes I think it's good to show something to the group that shows we remember the past too. That we live in the past."
"It'll be a difficult game for us, as well as for them"
We head into this weekend's game in fantastic form, sitting on top of the Premier League table with six wins out of seven. Spurs, meanwhile, have made an unbeaten start to their league campaign and are only one point behind us in third place.
Evaluating our opponents, Gabriel said: "They have amazing players who are playing well with good momentum, so it'll be a difficult game for us as well as for them. I believe should we do what we have been doing, we are closer to winning the game.
"Of course, it's a football game – sometimes things happen that you are not in control of, but what is in our hands is trying to keep the ball, create chances to score and win the game."
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