Paul Merson has backed Tottenham Hotspur to comfortably beat Leicester City on Saturday, insisting that the Foxes’ focus will be entirely on the Europa Conference League.
Tottenham go into the weekend two points behind their North London rivals in fourth place, with the Lilywhites aiming to get back to winning ways after disappointing results against both Brighton and Brentford.
After scoring goals for fun leading up to the last two games, Antonio Conte’s men struggled to create any clear-cut chances of note against the Seagulls and the Bees.
Leicester come into the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw against AS Roma in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday.
Merson insisted that he does not see anything but a Spurs victory on Sunday. The former Arsenal midfielder told Sportskeeda: “From Leicester’s point of view, this is not an interesting game.
“They have two big matches against Roma with this fixture in between, and I’m sure they’ll rest a few players here.
“Harry Kane’s transfer situation remains uncertain at Tottenham. It all depends on whether they can finish in the top four in the next few weeks.
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“He has a chance of beating Alan Shearer’s record, and it can only happen at Tottenham. He can’t do it with a team like City, because he won’t play against many of the lesser teams in the Premier League.
“This is a good game for Tottenham and I’d expect them to win it. Leicester will have one eye on their European games and I don’t see anything but a Tottenham victory here. Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Leicester City.”
Despite predicting a Spurs win, Merson backed the Gunners to maintain their two-point lead in the race for fourth, insisting that Arsenal will get the better of West Ham at the London Stadium.
He said about the London derby: “West Ham’s approach against Chelsea was mind-blowing. They rested three of their best players – Michail Antonio, Declan Rice, and Jarrod Bowen – to prepare for their Europa League tie.
“If West Ham do win the Europa League, I think Declan Rice has no excuse but to stay at the club. If they don’t win it, however, he may well leave for a club that plays in the Champions League.
“This is the perfect time for Arsenal to play West Ham and beat them. This is a nothing game for West Ham, but it could prove to be a massive result for Arsenal. Prediction: West Ham United 0-2 Arsenal.”
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Leicester will look to defend deep and play on the counter-attack, and much like Brentford and Brighton, they will try to deny Kane any time or space. I fear that the home crowd and the players will get nervous if we fail to score within the first half-hour, and that will play into Leicester’s hands.
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