Harry Redknapp has backed his former club Tottenham to dent Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes within the upcoming north London derby.
Leaders and title favourites Arsenal visit arch-rivals Spurs on Sunday, eager to get back to winning ways following two successive draws.
Mikel Arteta’s side, aiming to win Arsenal’s first Premier League title since 2004, were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford last week before throwing away a two-goal lead to attract 2-2 with Wolves on Wednesday night.
The Gunners threatened to tun away with the title race just a number of weeks ago but a wobble has left Arsenal just five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
Arsenal’s lead by the point they face Tottenham will just be two points if Man City beat Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
Tottenham won’t only be keen to dent Arsenal’s title hopes but in addition need the points themselves after slipping to sixteenth under former manager Thomas Frank.
Spurs’ defeat to Newcastle before last weekend’s FA Cup fixtures left the club just five points above the relegation zone with 12 games remaining.
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That loss was the ultimate straw for the Spurs board who decided to sack ex-Brentford manager Frank and appoint Igor Tudor as Tottenham’s interim manager until the tip of the season.
A staggering 29 points and 15 places separate Arsenal and Spurs within the Premier League table but Redknapp nevertheless expects the Gunners to drop more points in Sunday’s derby.
‘That is the massive one, and a really hard game to predict it,’ Redknapp, who managed Tottenham between 2008 and 2012, told BetVictor.
‘Let’s be honest, who knows what to anticipate from Spurs. I like Thomas Frank however the performances of late have been really poor they usually probably needed a change.
‘Tudor’s are available and he’s got a good repute in Italy but how will he get on at Spurs, only time will tell. Speak about an early test for him though!
‘As for Arsenal, who knows what to anticipate? I cannot consider they blew that game against Wolves, that’s just so unlike them and boy, has that put pressure on this game.
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‘Are those Arsenal lads starting to feel the pressure? That Spurs crowd should lift the players and make this a better game that some might expect.
‘I can see a nervy, entertaining draw! Bukayo Saka is one to observe as well, he’s signed a brand new deal and he’ll need to have a good time in style here.’
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith expects a more comfortable afternoon for the title-chasing Gunners despite admitting Tudor’s presence provides a little bit of uncertainty.
‘None of us quite knows what to anticipate,’ Smith told BestBettingSites. Igor Tudor appears to be a little bit of a firefighter. That’s where he’s had his success at other clubs.
‘He’ll be attempting to kick a number of backsides, perhaps, really rally them, which isn’t easy for a caretaker manager because players will probably be taking a look at him considering, well, you’re not going to be here next season.
‘But when he’s got something about him, perhaps he can produce a response. And for Arteta, he’s considering, “oh, how are they going to establish? How are they going to play?”
‘So Tottenham and Tudor are a little bit of an unknown quantity from that standpoint. That could be something Tudor can make the most of but I still fancy Arsenal. I’ll do 2-0.’
Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick as Arsenal thumped Tottenham 4-1 within the north London derby on the Emirates Stadium earlier within the season.
Arteta reminded his Arsenal players that they’re ‘exactly where we would like to be’ ahead of Sunday’s game despite their recent wobble.
‘We have now to live the current,’ Arteta said. ‘What we did previously is great, but we have now to live the current, and the current is gorgeous.
‘We’re exactly where we would like to be in every competition but there continues to be lots to play, and we’d like to earn it like we have now done within the last seven or eight months.’
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