Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has insisted that Saturday's North London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates will not be decisive in the race for fourth place.

Spurs are seventh in the table with 17 points from 11 matches, and are just one point and one place ahead of the Gunners.

"I don't think [Saturday] decides anything," said the Portuguese. "It's still early in the season. Last year we won at home, lost away and it is important for teams to be steady and gather the most amount of points.

"It would have been important for Arsenal to win against Fulham, it would have been important for us to win against Wigan.

"These are the situations where you punish yourself a little bit more for not being able to get the results. In games like this anything can happen but I don't think it will be decisive in what both teams can achieve."

Tottenham finished fourth in the Premier League last season, while Arsenal ended up in third place.