Arsenal vs Tottenham: Spurs will be fresh for north London derby, says Mousa Dembele

Fresh: Tottenham face Anderlecht on Thursday before Sunday's derby but Dembele says they won't be tired
(Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Giuseppe Muro4 November 2015

Mousa Dembele has dismissed any suggestion that Tottenham will be tired for Sunday’s north London derby.

Spurs face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in what will be their third fixture in just seven days.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side beat Aston Villa on Monday and also face Anderlecht at White Hart Lane in the Europa League tomorrow.

The Gunners are at Bayern Munich in the Champions League tonight so will have an extra recovery day.

But Dembele insists Spurs can cope with the busy schedule and, when asked if he has any fears about tiredness, the midfielder said: “No, we are professionals. It is a big week for us and we need to be ready as quickly as possible. [The squad strength] is something positive this year. We have a talented group and everybody can start and I think everybody hopes to start because there’s just so much quality.”

Player Ratings: Tottenham vs Aston Villa

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Pochettino says he will not be using the fixture congestion as an excuse but is likely to make changes against Anderlecht.

Dembele said: “We knew that if we won against Villa then our confidence would grow and we have two big games coming now.

“But first we must think about Anderlecht and then we will put all our focus on Arsenal. I am curious what team will play against Anderlecht but everybody wants to play.”

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