Ange Postecoglou has said the North London derby is a chance for Tottenham to test themselves against the Premier League’s top teams.
Spurs host North London neighbours Arsenal on Sunday and the Gunners will arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Premier League leaders.
Postecoglou’s side are in need of a positive result of their own as the club look to close the gap on Aston Villa in the Champions League places, while a win for Spurs would simultaneously damage the title hopes of their fierce rivals.
The Australian acknowledges it is a huge clash for both teams and believes the game can act as a measure of where his team are at compared to the teams challenging for the title.
“It’s fair enough. I am not going to dictate how our fans feel and what they feel is important. We understand the importance of the game and understand the importance of being at home in these kind of games to not let our biggest rival win in the biggest derby for us,” Postecoglou said at his pre-match press conference.
“We understand the consequences of that but ultimately it is about us trying to measure ourselves against the teams we want to be challenging on a more consistent basis. It’s a great opportunity to be doing that on Sunday.”
The clash with Arsenal begins a tricky run of games for Spurs, who travel to face Chelsea and Liverpool in their following two fixtures.
Postecoglou said he is looking forward to the challenge as Spurs look to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football.
“Every time you are out there is a chance to measure yourself. I have got a fair idea of where we are at, what progress we have made and what progress we need to make. It’s another great challenge for us. We have three big games and finish the season with another three games – they are all games of consequence for us and the opposition so I think the players are looking forward to that.
“At this time of year you want to be playing for something and certainly the games we will be involved in will all have something in them, so we are looking forward to it.”
