Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is backing fearless Richarlison to thrive in the hostility of his first north London derby, days after the Brazilian forward was targeted by racist abuse in France.
Ready to go ✊ pic.twitter.com/VeaVV9MGMF
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 29, 2022
Spurs make the short trip across the capital to Arsenal with last season’s crushing 3-0 win over the Gunners still fresh in the memory of both sides
“We are talking about a player that has no fear,” Conte said of Richarlison.
“I think he is a player who in every moment, also during the training sessions, shows great commitment but for sure the first thing I see in him is that he has no fear.
“He is not scared about anything. Not about the atmosphere, not about the noise and he is really strong. Into the pitch, also with the opponent, it is difficult to play against him because he has no fear.”
Richarlison will go into this fixture with an edge over Jesus, who was surprisingly left out of Brazil’s squad for their recent internationals with Ghana and Tunisia.
While national team boss Tite insisted Jesus remains in contention for a World Cup spot, Spurs forward Richarlison grabbed his opportunity with both hands by scoring a brace against Ghana and netting once in Tuesday’s 5-1 thrashing at the Parc des Princes.
Conte added: “We are talking about two amazing number nines and Tite is lucky because he can count on two fantastic strikers.
The £52million Spurs signing from Everton scored his first two goals for his new club in a 2-0 win against Marseille in the Champions League last month. He will go up against against countryman Gabriel Jesus on Saturday’s lunch time for his first ever north London derby.
