Paul Merson predicts Tottenham vs Aston Villa score – ‘Fully expect them to win’
Paul Merson is confident that one side will emerge victorious in the big clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.
A potential six-pointer
It was Villa who pipped Tottenham to fourth place last season and they now have a chance to open up a big gap with the Lilywhites early in the campaign when they visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
However, they will be facing a Spurs side whose tails will be up following their 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Ange Postecoglou’s men have an excellent record at home and they will see this game as an opportunity to claw back some ground on the Villans.
Paul Merson’s prediction
In contrast to Spurs, Villa come into Sunday’s game on the back of a disappointing Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, but Merson believes that they will bounce back and get three points in North London.
The former Arsenal midfielder predicted that Unai Emery’s side will build an unassailable gap over Spurs with a big win on Sunday.
The pundit told Sportskeeda: “That (Carabao Cup) exit would have definitely been disappointing for Villa. I’m still going to back them to beat Tottenham though.
“Villa’s high line could face problems against Spurs, but I just can’t see them not scoring in this game. It’s going to be a big blow for Tottenham in their attempt to qualify for the Champions League if they lose this game.
“Villa can open up an eight-point gap over Spurs if they win and that may well be curtains for the north Londoners’ hopes about finishing fourth. I just think Villa have a bit more in them than Tottenham and fully expect them to win here.”
Prediction: Tottenham 1 – Aston Villa 2.
Micky Van de Ven’s absence could be huge
Tottenham are a formidable side at home and if they were at full strength, one can argue that they would start favourites against Villa.
However, Van de Ven’s loss is a significant one for the Lilywhites as that will mean that the Villans can take advantage of the home side’s high line and potentially hurt them on the counter-attack.
This will be a tight game and it might well be decided by which of the two sides is more clinical in front of goal.
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