Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho says Mikel Arteta is a "talented" coach and that he would not be at Arsenal were that not the case.
Arteta will enter Sunday's north London derby, live on Sky Sports, amid the most difficult period of his 12-month reign at the Emirates, with the Gunners 14th in the Premier League having scored just five goals in their last eight league matches.
Arsenal's disappointing form this season has led some to question how much progress they have made since Arteta replaced Unai Emery, but Mourinho says their FA Cup triumph in August is evidence of his counterpart's quality.
He told Sky Sports News: "He is a good coach. He is a talented coach. He won already an important competition in the first few months of his career; that we cannot deny.
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"To be the Arsenal coach, you have to be good - if you are not good, you are not there.
"So yes, I think Mikel is a good coach but I want to respect the others - especially the others that I don't know well and probably are also very talented."
'Fans privileged to return for derby'
The derby will see fans return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since March after the Government relaxed restrictions on spectators attending live games.
Two-thousand Spurs supporters will be in the stadium to watch their team attempt to beat their biggest rivals and extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Mourinho has welcomed the move, saying: "I think this moment will be a privilege. They will feel privileged to be one of the 2,000 fans.
"But it's just the first step. As soon as possible we will have football back to normality."
'Harry Kane an injury concern'
Harry Kane is an injury concern for Tottenham ahead of the derby after missing training on Wednesday.
The Spurs striker, along with Sergio Reguilon, Carlos Vinicius and Erik Lamela, were not pictured in training ahead of their Europa League clash at Austrian club LASK on Thursday.
When asked about their absence, Mourinho confirmed in his pre-match press conference the quartet are injured, with Lamela having missed their past five games with a calf problem.
"I don't believe he [Lamela] has a chance for the weekend," Mourinho said. "Harry, Vinicius and Sergio; there is a chance for them to be [fit] for the weekend."