Jose Mourinho described former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as of the ‘best managers in football history’ and admitted he enjoyed the challenge of facing his sides.
LONDON — Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said Saturday’s north London derby against Tottenham is a “big opportunity” for his side to finish above their rivals this season.
Arsenal have won their last three Premier League matches and have gained six points on third-place Spurs this week following their defeats to Burnley and Chelsea.
Emery’s side can reduce the gap to just one point with a win at Wembley and he has called on his team to continue playing with the same confidence that saw them comfortably beat Southampton and Bournemouth this week.
“[It is a] big opportunity,” Emery said at a news conference on Friday. “There was a 10-point difference between Tottenham and us two weeks ago and now we are four points [behind].
“Tomorrow we will play together and for both it is very important because it’s very different to win or to lose. [It is a] big opportunity to play with confidence in our moment.”
Spurs have seen their Premier League title challenge fall away this week and are nine points behind leaders Liverpool following consecutive defeats.
Arsenal have not won at Spurs since March 2014 but won the reverse Premier League fixture 4-2 earlier this season, one of eight league fixtures Mauricio Pochettino’s side have lost this season.
Despite Spurs’ run of form, Emery said he expects to see a response from Pochettino’s side.
“I think tomorrow is a very different match than other matches,” Emery said. “It’s not important to think about their moment and our moment.
“It is also for us going to be different because we are away and for us [we need] to prepare and think for the best Tottenham.”
Defenders Laurent Koscielny and Stephan Lichtsteiner have returned to full training ahead of the clash, Emery confirmed.
Koscielny picked up a knock during Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday while Lichtsteiner was absent because of a minor back issue.
Be the first to comment