Berbatov predicts where North London Derby could be won or lost

Dimitar Berbatov has claimed that the North London Derby on Sunday will be won by the side that makes the fewest mistakes and has urged Tottenham to take advantage of Arsenal frailties at the back by forcing errors from the Gunners backline.

Tottenham fans may not have been looking forward to the derby a couple of weeks ago but Jose Mourinho’s men seem to have turned a corner with their recent results.

With Gareth Bale now seemingly back to his best, Spurs now arguably boast of one of the best forward lines in the league, if not the whole of Europe.

Berbatov was one of several pundits who questioned Bale’s attitude and hunger earlier in the season but the Bulgarian has admitted that his former Spurs teammate now looks like he means business.

He told Betfair (as relayed by The Daily Mirror): “The Gareth Bale show is going on. Football is unpredictable, you think it’s going one way, then it goes the other way.

“Apparently, Tottenham have scored 100 goals this season which is some achievement and proves Kane, Son and Bale can play and thrive under a Mourinho system. They just need to maintain that consistency until the end of the season.

“This weekend it is the north London derby and Spurs have the momentum with Bale also coming into form. However, it is a derby and you just have to try and win that game.”

Berbatov insisted that Spurs should get the better of their local rivals if they avoid making unforced errors at the back, noting that Tottenham can force mistakes from the Gunners backline with the firepower they have upfront.

The former Tottenham man said: “Arsenal are leaking goals and making mistakes, the Burnley goal highlights that.

“Spurs need to enforce that and make Arsenal make mistakes and not make mistakes themselves. I think Spurs have the better players on paper, but in these games, nothing is certain.

“It’s an important game for both teams. It is a north London derby. Both sets of supporters want to win the game. If Spurs win it, they edge closer to the top four.

“It’s good for the ego and pride too. As I’ve said before, when you step onto that pitch and you’re mentally ready, you will be OK.

“A win over Arsenal will build their confidence even higher. Spurs had a good season in the beginning, then they hit a dip in form and now again they have stepped up a gear up and are performing well.

“Hopefully they don’t have another dip in form as otherwise, it would be the same old story. My only wish if they beat Arsenal is to maintain their consistency as that separates big sides and then the really big sides.”

Spurs Web Opinion

If our performances over the last couple of months have proven anything, it is that we are not very effective at sitting back and absorbing pressure due to our leaky backline. We stand a much better chance when we take the game to the opposition due to the firepower we have upfront and hopefully, that is what we do on Sunday.

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