Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou admits he understands the importance of not losing to Arsenal as he prepares his team to face the Gunners.
The Lilywhites are one of the teams Manchester City hopes can prevent Arsenal from winning their remaining games of the season.
Although Arsenal has overtaken City at the top of the Premier League table, the reigning champions have played one game less.
There is no guarantee that City will win their game in hand, and they will also play against Tottenham before the end of the season.
If Arsenal were to beat Spurs at the Tottenham Stadium, they would gain more confidence heading into their remaining games of the season, and Postecoglou does not want to allow them that advantage.
Ahead of the game, he said, as quoted by Arsenal Media:
“We understand the importance, particularly at home, in these kind of games against our biggest rival and in the biggest derby not letting our opponent get on top of us. We understand the consequences of that but ultimately it’s still about us measuring ourselves against the teams we want to be challenging on a more consistent basis.
“There’s great meaning to the points for both clubs, then what’s happened previously, whether that’s the immediate past or further back, becomes irrelevant. Because you know it’s going to be a tough game, have a bit of an edge to it, have an atmosphere. And you’ve just got to make sure you get ready to match those levels with a performance.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
We have never had an easy derby, but we often still win just like we did last season in front of their fans and can repeat that.
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