Paul Merson believes that a win for Aston Villa against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday will end the Lilywhites’ chances of finishing in the top four this season.
With Manchester United falling to two back-to-back defeats before their win over Everton this weekend and losing ground in the race for the fourth, the battle for the final guaranteed Champions League spot looks set to be in the hands of Villa and Spurs.
All eyes will be on Villa Park on Sunday, with Ange Postecoglou’s men making the trip to West Midlands knowing that they cannot afford a defeat.
Spurs sit five points behind their opponents with a game in hand and they will want to avenge the loss they suffered to Villa in the reverse fixture, with Unai Emery’s men emerging with a 2-1 win from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in November.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham in the top four race
Merson insisted that the Lilywhites could not afford to lose this game if they want to keep their top-four hopes alive and he backed the two sides to play out an entertaining, high-scoring draw.
The former Arsenal midfielder told Sportskeeda: “If Tottenham lose this one, they’ll go eight points behind Aston Villa. They’d still have a game in hand, but this is more of a ‘don’t lose’ kind of game for Ange Postecoglou and his team.
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“Both teams play such a high line and have a bunch of talented attacking players, so this will be an entertaining game of football. If Villa win, I think they’ll put the top-four race to bed, which is honestly an unbelievable feat.
“I’m looking at their squads and the seasons they’ve had so far, but I just can’t seem to separate them.”
Prediction: Aston Villa 2-2 Tottenham.
Spurs Web Opinion
Most Spurs fans would probably take a draw if you offered it to them now but Ange Postecoglou probably would not as he would want his players to be positive and take the game to the home side.
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