Manchester United legend Gary Neville has advised Arsenal to be on alert for the upcoming ‘North London derby’ against Tottenham Hotspur. Neville believes the outcome of this game could have a significant impact on the Premier League title hunt.
Arsenal celebrated an impressive 5-0 win over London rivals Chelsea in their Premier League matchday 34 clash on Tuesday evening (April 23). The win allowed the Gunners to secure top spot in the league standings. However, Manchester City, who are one point behind in second place, can dethrone them by winning their game.
Gary Neville says Arsenal face a ‘bloodbath’ at Tottenham
With City hot on their heels, Arsenal will travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the famous ‘North London Derby’ on Sunday (April 28) and Neville believes a lot is riding on this English classic. Before speaking about the game with Spurs, he praised Arsenal for their performance against Chelsea.
He began by saying (via Sky Sports):
“Arsenal were very good against Chelsea. Actually excellent.
“I was really impressed with Chelsea versus Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend. They were really good at Wembley and there was a lot to build on there. Mauricio Pochettino came and said, and he couldn’t put it better: If they’re bad, then they’re bad at rallying, but Arsenal were really good too. They won well and played dominantly against a weak and undermanned Chelsea team, but Mikel Arteta’s team did their job.”
Turning his attention to the derby, Neville added:
“But now Arsenal’s big moment of the season is this game on Sunday.
“There’s so much going on here at the weekend. I was there a few years ago when it was the Champions League and Tottenham beat Arsenal. The Gunners didn’t make it. However, it is a completely different Arsenal that will be competing there on Sunday. They are tough and resilient now but this will be a test, just like Liverpool were at Everton.”
He concluded with the words:
“Arsenal will not be shocked on Sunday. The first 15 to 20 minutes may be a bloodbath. Tottenham fans don’t want Arsenal to win the league. Tottenham want a win, not just to stop Arsenal, but also to have pride in winning a north London derby and taking as many points as possible.”
Arsenal and Spurs played out a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium in September. However, in the last derby at Tottenham, the Gunners won 2-0.