(Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur are not concerned about the Premier League title race between Manchester City and Arsenal and see Tuesday’s game against City as a challenge to measure themselves against the best, manager Ange Postecoglou said.
Second-placed City are trying to pip Arsenal who are a point ahead having played an extra game, while Spurs are looking to close a four-point gap with fourth-placed Aston Villa in a bid to qualify for the Champions League.
“Any time you’re going to play Man City, particularly at the end of a season when they always seem to be at their best, it’s a hell of a challenge,” Postecoglou told reporters on Monday.
“We’ve got an opportunity to measure ourselves against the best. A team that has consistently strived for honours. We want to emulate them one day and the best way to do that is to test yourself against them.”
City have struggled at Spurs since they moved into their new stadium, losing five matches in the venue before getting their first win in January’s FA Cup tie.
“My recent home record against them is one game, one loss. So I’m not going to take any confidence from that,” Postecoglou said.
The manager dismissed the idea that most Spurs fans would want their club to lose in order to dent local rival Arsenal’s title hopes.
“You think the majority of our fans are not going to want us to win tomorrow night? I don’t see it that way. I think the majority of our fans will create the atmosphere they always create at our games,” he said.
“I will never understand if somebody wants their own team to lose. That is not what sport is about. What I love more than anything is the competitiveness.”
Midfielder Yves Bissouma and forward Richarlison will miss the remaining games of the season with injuries, Postecoglou added.
“(Richarlison) would probably have been out for three or four weeks at least, from what I understand,” he said, indicating the Brazil forward was a doubt for the Copa America in June.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Source Agencies
