Emmanuel Petit has looked ahead to Arsenal’s clash with rivals Tottenham.
Former Arsenal hero Emmanuel Petit has told Paddy Power that he thinks Tottenham Hotspur will try to humiliate the Gunners after the international break.
Arsenal have headed into the international break off the back of another defeat in a big game, having lost 3-1 away at Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Spurs claimed a narrow 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace, with Son Heung-min’s goal handing a lethargic Tottenham side a hard-fought victory against the Premier League’s bottom club.
Those two results mean that Tottenham sit four points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League table, ahead of a huge meeting between the two sides after the international break.
Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur scores from the penalty spot against Arsenal
Spurs make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium a week on Saturday, and Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to keep up his record of having never lost to the Gunners in the Premier League as Spurs boss.
After losing another big game, question marks again hover over Arsene Wenger, and the Frenchman needs a result to get Arsenal back on track – and to re-assert some dominance of North London.
Rivals Spurs have made huge progress under Pochettino, and whilst they are impressing in the Champions League and again emerging as Premier League title contenders, Arsenal continue to fall short of expectations.
Emmanuel Petit
Ahead of the game, former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has told Paddy Power that this is a ‘vitally important’ fixture for the Gunners, as a win could get fans back onside after losing to Manchester City.
The Frenchman did though add that Spurs are better than Arsenal, and have been for some time now, predicting that Tottenham will attempt to humiliate their rivals in their own back yard.
“The next game, however, is vitally important. Not just for the table, but also for the team spirit, and for the message it sends to your own players and fans,” said Petit. “This game may be exactly what Arsenal need in order to lift supporters – if they can win, it may get the crowd back behind the team.”
“Tottenham are better than Arsenal, and have been for quite a while, so it will be a tough game. Arsenal will need to show character. Spurs will go at Arsenal; they’ll try to humiliate the Gunners at home. The Arsenal fans need a message from their players in response,” he added.
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