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Tudor is '100 percent' certain of saving Spurs from relegation / Photo: © AFP
Tudor is '100 percent' certain of saving Spurs from relegation
Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor said he is "100 percent" sure his troubled club will avoid relegation as he prepares for his first match in Sunday's north London derby against Arsenal.
Tudor's side are languishing just five points above the Premier League relegation zone, sparking fears of a catastrophic drop into the second tier.
The Croatian, hired last week following Thomas Frank's sacking, knows Tottenham are a club in turmoil following a dismal run of just two victories in their last 17 league matches.
They are winless in their last eight league games stretching back to the end of 2025, but Tudor is adamant they can win the fight to avoid playing in the Championship for the first time since 1977-78.
Asked on Friday how confident he was that Tottenham would be in the Premier League next season, Tudor told reporters: "One hundred per cent.
"I'm not here to enjoy. I'm here to work. It's the first moment and there's work to do. It's a privilege to be here."
Former Juventus and Lazio boss Tudor faces a baptism of fire against Premier League leaders Arsenal, who are desperate to get their spluttering title bid back on track.
Adding to Tudor's daunting debut, the 47-year-old will be without 11 players due to injuries and suspension.
"As you know this is a very rare situation that you find with, with big injuries also. We made training with 13 (outfield) players," he said.
"It is not fantastic, but in this case it's an even bigger challenge to succeed. Thirteen we will have for sure and it's quite enough to achieve what we want on Sunday."
Frank was axed after just eight months in charge, the Dane paying the price for his prosaic tactics and failure to extract the maximum from his under-achieving squad.
While Tudor is aware of the significance of a derby win over Arsenal, he is more concerned with building a strong team spirit to help fuel their survival bid.
"I understand the importance of this game. This is a derby, a north London derby," he said.
"This is a team that is full of quality, full of talented players, with good motor engines.
"But my goal in these first training sessions is that we became a team, with a really right way of going to war.
"A team who want to suffer. To fight, to run, to have the right mentality. This is the start."
O.Anderson--SFF
