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April 28, 2017

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Stakes high in Spurs-Gunners derby

IF Sunday’s clash does indeed turn out to be the last north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur’s historic White Hart Lane stadium, the stakes could hardly be higher for the protagonists.

Tottenham, which is expected to announce this week that it will definitely move to Wembley next season while its new stadium is completed, will finish above Arsenal for the first time in 22 years with victory over Arsene Wenger’s Gunners.

Mauricio Pochettino’s vibrant young team has grander ambitions though, and first and foremost in its mind will be keeping alive its hopes of a first English league title since the club’s glory days in 1961.

Should Chelsea fail to win at Everton in Sunday’s earlier match, Tottenham could conceivably be top of the table before Chelsea plays again if it beats Arsenal and follows that with victory at West Ham United next Friday.

“The possibility of finishing above Arsenal is not a motivation or a distraction,” Pochettino said after his side beat in-form Crystal Palace 1-0 to narrow the gap on Chelsea to four points on Wednesday.

“We are just focusing on trying to beat Arsenal. What happens at the end of the season? We have five games ahead, a very exciting period, and an exciting weekend ahead.”

While Arsenal would dearly love to scupper Spurs’ title bid, it too has more pressing concerns, namely trying to qualify for a 20th consecutive UEFA Champions League campaign.

Wenger’s 6th-placed side secured a late 1-0 win over Leicester City on Wednesday to move four points behind 4th-placed Manchester City and three behind Manchester United before last night’s Manchester derby.

Like Pochettino, Wenger said bragging rights were secondary. “We play for us. In life you work for your own achievements, not for others,” Wenger said. “What is most important is that we go there, try to win the game and focus on our performance.”

Recent history suggests both sides might fall short of their ambitions on Sunday.

The last three north London derbies have ended in draws, including last season’s clash at the Lane in March, when a late Alexis Sanchez equalizer earned 10-man Arsenal a 2-2 draw which prevented Tottenham going top of the table.

Tottenham has won its last eight league matches though — a club record in the Premier League and its best sequence since 1960 — and has been unstoppable at the ground that will soon be bulldozed to make way for the 61,000-seater arena sprouting up around it.




 

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