Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has made an interesting score prediction on Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham Hotspur’s season has been full of ups and downs. They look confident and ambitious on their travels, yet uneasy and inconsistent in front of their own supporters. This is exactly what has happened in Spurs’ last two fixtures.
When the odds were heavily stacked against them, the Lilywhites rocked up to Villa Park and beat Aston Villa 2-1. That gave Roberto De Zerbi’s side confidence heading into Monday’s Leeds United fixture. The fans were up for the game at home and felt their side would register a third win in a row. However, Spurs managed a 1-1 draw with Leeds United, wasting a glorious opportunity to go four points clear of relegation rivals West Ham.
There have been plenty of positives to take from the past few games. De Zerbi has made a telling impact on this Tottenham squad, simplifying things and encouraging the boys to play with freedom. This has led to the kind of cohesion, tempo, organisation and energy that we have not seen from the team for several months this season.
Paul Merson makes prediction on Chelsea vs. Tottenham
Next up for Tottenham is a trip to Chelsea. Our fans have had wretched trips to Stamford Bridge down the years, with the Lilywhites managing just one win there throughout history. But if they are to give themselves a chance of beating the drop, De Zerbi’s men must get a positive result at the home of their bitter rivals.
Chelsea have endured a tough season as well, sacking managers Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenier. Calum McFarlane has taken the interim charge, and he managed to end a six-game losing run in the league by guiding his team to a 1-1 draw at Liverpool last weekend. Given the current form of the two sides, Spurs may well fancy their chances on April 19.
However, Paul Merson is still backing Chelsea to beat Tottenham. The Sky Sports pundit has explained why he believes the home side will win the contest 2-0, whilst predicting the relegation battle between Tottenham and West Ham to go down to the final day of the campaign.
“I’m going for a Chelsea win because this is their cup final every season! A lot of Chelsea fans would rather win against Tottenham on Tuesday than beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final! Or I should say most Chelsea fans are in the middle of feeling this way, let us put it that way,” Paul Merson wrote in his column for Sportskeeda.
“I say that because the last thing they need is Tottenham staying up in the Premier League with a result at Stamford Bridge. No Chelsea fan would want to witness that.
“Roberto De Zerbi has certainly improved Spurs. They will be confident in this game, especially since Chelsea are involved in the FA Cup this weekend. Tottenham may only need a point here if West Ham end up losing to Newcastle. But like I said earlier, I see this relegation battle going down to the last day of the season.
“Chelsea win and a clean sheet. I do not even know why I am backing Chelsea to keep a clean sheet, but it is what it is!”
Tottenham cannot afford to lose at Stamford Bridge
If Merson’s prediction goes right, it will spell disaster for De Zerbi’s side, depending on how the Newcastle vs. West Ham result unfolds. Should Spurs lose to Chelsea, and the Hammers beat Newcastle on Sunday, then Spurs will head into their final game against Everton at home in the relegation zone.
Currently, Tottenham’s fate is in their hands. They will want to dictate the terms heading into the final game of the season, which means we must do everything possible to not taste defeat at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea fans will be desperate to send us packing down to the Championship, and given that both sets of players are aware of the heated rivalry, we expect De Zerbi’s men to act like soldiers and get a result next week.