Rafael van der Vaart believes Tottenham have the edge in the race for a top-three finish and hopes Arsenal are starting to get nervous.
Dutchman hopes Arsenal are starting to feel nervous
Rafael van der Vaart believes Tottenham have the edge in the race for a top-three finish and hopes Arsenal are starting to get nervous.
Spurs have been above their North London rivals for the majority of the campaign but recently slipped back into fourth following a run of seven straight wins for the Gunners.
However, Tottenham drew back level on points with Arsenal over the weekend after beating Swansea 3-1 at White Hart Lane, with Arsene Wenger's men suffering a surprise defeat against Queens Park Rangers.
Chelsea and Newcastle also remain in contention and Van der Vaart would like to think that Arsenal are feeling the pressure.
While finishing in the top four is the priority, the Dutchman is targeting third place to ensure Spurs avoid a UEFA Champions League play-off round and go straight into the group stage.
"I hope Arsenal are getting nervous. It's a big battle - Chelsea also keep winning - and it's not going to be easy to lead from the front," Van der Vaart said in
The Sun.
"I'm confident we can finish third. But I said a few weeks ago 12 points is a lot and we were going to stay in third!
Long way to go
"We want to have Champions League again because last season it was a great experience. It's important we finish third not fourth because in qualifying there are some big teams and you never know what can happen."
Van der Vaart is confident Tottenham will finish third as he believes Arsenal have the tougher run-in, with games to come against Manchester City and Chelsea.
He said: "Yes we feel like we have the advantage. But sometimes we do better against the big teams."
Van der Vaart scored the opening goal against Swansea as Spurs secured their first league win in six matches.
"We were a little low on confidence but we showed we're still there and want to be in the top three," he added.
"There's still a long way to go but confidence is back."
