Tottenham star warns Arsenal of in-form teammate ahead on north London derby

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier has warned bitter north London rivals Arsenal to expect the “the best Christian Eriksen we’ve ever seen” when the two meet at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

On Tuesday evening, as the England international was captaining his country for the second time in a week, and aiding the Three Lions to successive goalless draws against the world’s best, his Spurs teammate was enjoying a history making night in Dublin.

The Denmark international was instrumental in his side’s 5-1 hammering of the Republic of Ireland in their World Cup qualifier, netting three stunning goals to book his nation’s place in the competition’s finals in Russia next summer.

However, this weekend the Premier League returns, and the duo will be reunited once again as Tottenham face Arsenal in the north London derby on Saturday, with Dier insisting the Gunners must be wary of the midweek hero.

“He’s obviously coming very high on confidence now”, the 23-year-old told The Telegraph.

“I think he’s had a fantastic campaign for Denmark, not just in these two play-offs, but in the whole of qualifying.

“It’s well deserved he got the hat-trick today and helped them go through. It’s great for Tottenham he’s continuing to excel.

“We’re seeing the best Christian Eriksen we’ve ever seen at the moment. Hopefully, he can keep going.”

Spurs will be hoping they can continue their dominance of last year over their fiercest rivals at the weekend, after securing their first finish above Arsenal in the Premier League in over two decades last season.

Tottenham entered the international break level on points with fellow title chasers Manchester United and four ahead of this weekend’s hosts.<

A draw could well be enough to retain the Lilywhites’ top four status for another week, as well as keep the Gunners at arms length, however Dier has revealed his side want much more than that.

“The mentality going into it is to win”, he added. “Simple really.”

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino could well welcome back crucial trio Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks into the starting line-up after missing England’s goalless duo of high-profile friendlies over the past week through injury.

If the Argentine is able to include all three, not only would it prove a massive boost to Tottenham’s chances, but also it would provide expectation that the north London bragging rights would be making their way to Wembley Stadium come the final whistle on Saturday.