Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen is backing Arsenal to beat Tottenham this weekend.

Former Arsenal captain Vermaelen played with Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen in the heart of Belgium's defence against Japan but the pair will now put friendships to one side as they focus on domestic rivalries.

Vermaelen added with a degree of understatement: "Well I hope Arsenal win, it's going to be a tough game, I look forward to the game.

"Big rivals, big games and all the players from both clubs look forward to playing them."