Nicklas Bendtner will be fined for Copenhagen trip, says Arsene Wenger
Nicklas Bendtner will be fined for Copenhagen trip, says Arsene Wenger
Arsenal striker Bendtner will be fined by the club for taking an unauthorised trip to Copenhagen this week, manager Wenger said.

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner will be fined by the club for taking an unauthorised trip to Copenhagen this week, manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday.

"Nobody gave him any permission to go to Copenhagen and he will be fined for that," Wenger told a news conference.

Bendtner, 26, was alleged to have been involved in an altercation with a taxi driver during the trip, according to Danish media reports. His Arsenal team mates drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich on Tuesday night and were eliminated from the Champions League last 16.

"If he has created some trouble there, I don't know, I will speak to him today," Wenger said. The only thing that is for sure is he had nothing to do in Copenhagen."

Bendtner, who was fined and banned from driving for three years for being over the legal drink-drive limit in Copenhagen last year, has not played for Arsenal since February 2.

When asked if it was the 'final straw' for the player, Wenger said: "He is at the end of his contract at the end of the season."

Third-placed Arsenal travel to north London rivals Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.

While Arsenal are hardly in the best of league form, having lost their last two away from home, Tottenham's season is in danger of imploding after a 4-0 drubbing at Chelsea last weekend and 3-1 midweek home defeat by Benfica in the Europa League.

It would appear to be the perfect time for Arsenal to face their bitter rivals, although with Wenger only having three league wins at White Hart Lane since arriving in 1996, he knows that form is often irrelevant in highly charged games.

"We have played two draws and three losses there (in the last five league meetings at Spurs)," Wenger told reporters on Friday.

"It is a difficult ground to go to for everybody.

"It has always been difficult at White Hart Lane but we are in a position where of course we want to win the game."

Arsenal's defeat at Stoke City put a dent in their title hopes. They are in third place, seven points behind leaders Chelsea with some difficult matches to come.

Tottenham are fifth, six points behind Arsenal and four behind Manchester City, who have three games in hand.

"After Stoke it was very important that we had a good result against Everton (in the FA Cup). We had a good result even at Bayern (in the Champions League) but it's important that we continue and have no weak moment any more until the end of the season," Wenger said.

Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood, who will be taking charge in his first north London derby since replacing sacked Andre Villas-Boas in December, has endured a difficult few days after an encouraging start to his managerial career.

Sherwood publicly questioned his players' attitude after a second-half collapse at Chelsea, but he has received some sympathy from Wenger, who has seen nine Spurs managers come and go during his tenure at Arsenal.

"I think he said that the performance was not right, and I say that as well sometimes," Wenger said.

"For the rest I think he is dealing with it well.

"Tottenham have bought so many players that it might take them some time to get the right balance or find the right level. I think they are a good side.

"I still think it always takes time when you bring in many new players, but you cannot say Spurs have had a bad season, they've had a good season and they are there."

Should Tottenham lose, their hopes of finishing in the top four would be as good as finished, according to Sherwood.

"If we still have any hope of getting in the top four we have to win on Sunday," said Sherwood.

"In some ways it's the perfect match for us after the week we've had."

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