Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas warned Arsenal that Gareth Bale will use Sunday’s north London derby to prove he deserves to be ranked as one of the world’s top three players.
Bale will be firmly in the spotlight when Arsenal arrive at White Hart Lane for a potentially decisive moment in the battle to qualify for the Champions League.
Villas-Boas’s third placed team are already four points clear of Arsenal, who lie fifth, and a victory over their bitter rivals would be a major blow to the Gunners’ hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four with 10 games remaining.
If Tottenham are to add to Arsenal’s woes, they will need another dominant display from Bale, who underlined his remarkable talent by inspiring Spurs to a 3-2 win at West Ham on Monday.
Bale scored twice at Upton Park, including a sublime last-minute winner, to take his goal tally to 23 for club and country this season.
The 23-year-old’s superb form in recent months has led to claims that the Wales winger is now as influential as Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi.
Villas-Boas has no doubts about Bale’s brilliance and he believes this weekend’s marquee match-up is the perfect stage for the winger to showcase himself.
“He is world class and those two players (Messi and Ronaldo) are,” Villas-Boas said.
“Gareth at the moment is showing the form to be at the level of those two players, who have won so much throughout their careers, including European trophies.
“He still has to achieve that and we hope he can achieve it with us.”
Bale clearly poses the greatest threat to Arsenal’s bid to win at White Hart Lane for the first time since September 2007 but Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is adamant his side won’t just focus on stopping the Welshman.
Wenger, who considered buying Bale from Southampton before his eventual move to Spurs, said: “We don’t plan for anybody. It is always the same, focus on our strengths and forget about your opponent.”
Wenger, whose club have gone eight years without a trophy, can ill-afford another chastening defeat on Sunday as he looks to rescue a traumatic campaign that has seen subjected to more criticism than ever.