Igor Tudor ‘100% confident’ Spurs avoid relegation ahead of North London derby | OneFootball

Igor Tudor is “100%” confident he can keep Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League ahead of his first game in charge against bitter rivals and Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday.

Tudor arrives with a reputation of providing instant impact to clubs, most recently taking Juventus from ninth in Serie A to fourth and with hopes of Champions League qualification, and now aims to keep Spurs afloat.

Despite the ongoing long-term injury crisis, Tudor believes his players know what they need to deliver to instil some level of hope among the restless Tottenham faithful.

Tudor said: “Of course, 13 [players] we will have for sure and it’s quite enough to achieve what we want on Sunday.

“And the first goal of all, of course I understand the importance of this game, this is a derby, a north London derby – everybody expects the three points from us.”

The manager was bullish with his intentions as interim boss at Spurs, making clear he wasn’t here simply to sightsee around London when asked if he has settled into life at the club.

He said: “I didn’t enjoy because I’m not here to enjoy, I’m here to work. Enjoying is just the first moment, after that there is work to do.

“It’s a privilege to be here, as I said before, at this fantastic club. Also I’m very focused and concentrated to do the right things that this club, this team and these fans need.”

Unfortunately for the 47-year-old, he is unable to welcome back any recovering players, despite ex-boss Thomas Frank suggesting both Richarlison and Pedro Porro were targeting a return to the first team on derby day.

A recurring theme for Spurs this season has been their dismal home form, with just two Premier League wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium all season – creating a gloomy cloud over Daniel Levy’s billion-pound project.

Sky Sports pundit and commentator Gary Neville went as far as describing it having a ‘Soccer Aid’ feel.

Tudor has pleaded with supporters to get behind the team ahead of Sunday’s crunch match, which could see his side unthinkably fall to within two points of the drop if their other rivals West Ham beat Bournemouth.

He said: “The message is give us support. The players need this, it is an amazing game to restart.

“I heard a lot of good things about them, about the love they have for the players. I am sure they will give us support and we show them that we care and we want to switch, we want to make a change immediately.”