‘There’s something special about this game’ – Arsenal boss Slegers previews North London derby | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers says that this weekend’s North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur is a special game and that The Gunners’ recent form can play a part in helping them succeed.

The two North London rivals go head-to-head at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening,

When speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Arsenal boss Slegers said that the derby occasion will be special and that her side’s recent form can help them.

“We want to bring what we always want to bring; our basics, our foundation of who we are, we want to bring that to every single game,” Slegers said. “Yes, there’s something special about this game. We have to play the occasion and use the occasion but we are so strong because we are very much in control and in our controlled middle, task-focused and in the present. That’s what’s bringing us good performances at the moment and that’s what we want to bring tomorrow as well.”

Arsenal have faced Spurs in pre-season and in the reverse league fixture but are yet to come out on top. Slegers is intrigued to see how Spurs line-up at the Emirates Stadium.

She said “I think those two games were different games for the personnel, the way we play and where we were at in the season, both teams. They’ve posed us different questions in those two games so far, so let’s see what they do tomorrow at the Emirates, playing in the North London derby, what their strategy will be.

“Again, we have to plan for all the scenarios and be really good in all phases of the game. There are a couple of things that we really want to nail tomorrow, so that’s going to be important. We’ll have focus on ourselves and we’ll see how Tottenham come out.”

A huge crowd is expected at the Emirates Stadium and Slegers wants her side to connect with the fans from the moment they enter the pitch.

She said “We look forward to it. We’ve been talking to the players about connecting with the crowd and starting in the warm-up because they’re going to help us in the game. We want to bring something to them, so that connection is really important for us. The earlier people can be at the stadium, the better, so we can share this occasion and make the very, very best out of this tomorrow.”

Arsenal’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur kicks-off at 5.30pm on Saturday evening. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.