Arsenal will take a step into the unknown tomorrow when they face FC Twente in the Champions League third qualifying round, first leg, but one player knows all about their Dutch opponents. Robin van Persie spends his spare time watching Dutch football on television and the Holland forward has become an expert on Twente. They are a small, unfashionable club who are coached by Steve McClaren and they remind Van Persie of one of Arsenal's Barclays Premier League rivals. “Their English equivalent?” Van Persie said. “Tottenham.”

There is no love lost between Arsenal and their North London rivals, but Van Persie's tongue was firmly in his cheek when he compared McClaren's club to Tottenham Hotspur. Twente finished fourth in the Dutch top flight last season and qualified for the Champions League - something Spurs have never done - for the first time by beating Ajax in a controversial play-offs competition that has since been scrapped. “That was a big shock in Holland,” Van Persie said. “Everyone expected Ajax to win, but Twente played better. These things happen.”

Lightning is unlikely to strike twice, even though Arsenal's injury problems mean that Denílson will probably start in midfield alongside Cesc Fàbregas, who has played only once since Spain lifted the European Championship trophy in June. Twente have sold their two best players - Orlando Engelaar to Schalke 04 and Karim El Ahmadi to Feyenoord - and the statistics are on Arsenal's side.

McClaren, the former England head coach, has a dreadful record against Arsène Wenger's team. While managing Middlesbrough, he lost nine out of ten league matches against Arsenal and the last time he faced Wenger, at Highbury in January 2006, Middlesbrough lost 7-0.

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“People in Holland are happy and proud to have him there,” Van Persie said. “It was a strange move to go from England to Twente, but all the Twente players are saying that they really like his style of coaching.”

Kolo Touré should be fit, after recovering from malaria and playing in the friendly victory against Ajax last Friday, to partner William Gallas in the centre of Arsenal's defence and Van Persie is likely to start in attack with Emmanuel Adebayor. “Arsenal need to play in the Champions League [proper],” Van Persie said. “If you have players like ours and a stadium like ours, you need to play at the highest level in Europe.”

Tomas Rosicky, the midfield player, who has been out since January with a hamstring injury, has started kicking a ball again in training, but has been warned by his doctors to take it easy. "I have to be patient,” Rosicky said. “I don’t want to rush anything.”

Two of a kind?

FC Twente

Honours One Dutch title (as Sportclub Enschede), two Dutch Cups

Famous former players Martin Jol, Ronald de Boer, Arnold Muhren

Anthem You'll Never Walk Alone

Tottenham Hotspur

Honours Two league titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, two Uefa Cups, one Cup Winners' Cup

Famous former players Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne, Dave Mackay

Anthem Stand up if you hate Arsenal

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