Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Min believes Arsenal are the ‘perfect’ team for Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs to play ahead of the latest north London derby on Sunday.
The Gunners travel from N5 to N17 this weekend looking to win back-to-back league fixtures away to Spurs for the first time since 1988. Arsenal secured a 2-0 win in their trip last season after Hugo Lloris’ (14’) own goal and captain Martin Odegaard (36’) firing to beat Tottenham.
Arsenal can also improve their position at the top of the Premier League table with another north London derby win. Tottenham will host the table-toppers this Sunday but Manchester City are only a point behind the Emirates Stadium giants. Man City also hold a game in hand.
Son Heung-Min feels Arsenal are the ‘perfect’ test for Tottenham Hotspur
The Citizens will even hold two matches in hand on Arsenal following the full-time whistle at Tottenham. Pep Guardiola takes his team to Nottingham Forest this Sunday evening knowing how Mikel Arteta and his players fared with Postecoglou’s side who are desperate for points.
Tottenham know they cannot drop many points as they look to keep pace with Aston Villa in the race for the final Champions League qualifying place. But Son also rates Arsenal’s visit to N17 as ‘perfect’ for Tottenham as it is a chance to play against ‘one of the best’ in the world.
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“It will be a good test for our team,” Son said, via quotes by the Mirror. “We’re very young and we’re still a little bit inexperienced because we’re building a young team with a young team with new experiences.
“Some of them are in their first season in the Premier League. So look, we can test ourselves against one of the biggest teams in Europe and the Premier League, but also in the world.
“It’s very important the way we play. Stick to our play, stick to our game. It’s a very, very good test. It’s against one of the best teams in the world, so it’s perfect [for us]. You want to always have good competition and you always want to face the best teams in the world.”
Mikel Arteta will not underestimate the threat Son Heung-Min will pose
Arteta will find confidence in Arsenal’s injury list for their trip to Tottenham clearing. Jurrien Timber could be their only absentee as the 22-year-old enters the final stage of his recovery from an ACL injury. Arteta has even admitted that Timber may make Arsenal’s squad in N17.
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But while Arsenal are the Premier League leaders and Tottenham sit fifth in the table ahead of the north London derby, Arteta will not underestimate Spurs and especially Son. The 31-year-old has played the Gunners 19 times to date and boasts seven goals plus seven assists.
Son has also beaten Arsenal six times and helped to six draws across all competitions, with five wins coming in the Premier League. He even scored both of Tottenham’s goals as they drew 2-2 at Emirates Stadium in September, with goals that James Maddison also assisted.