Paul Merson is confident that Tottenham Hotspur do not stand any chance of causing an upset against Manchester City on Sunday, backing the Premier League champions to wipe the flour with their opponents.
Playing Man City at the Etihad is the last fixture that Ange Postecoglou’s side would have wanted at a time when they are ravaged by injuries and trying to come out of a slump.
With Spurs having lost three back-to-back Premier League matches and falling out of the top four, Pep Guardiola’s men head into the game as massive favourites.
Several pundits over the last few days have warned Postecoglou to be a bit more pragmatic against City, asserting that Tottenham could be humiliated if they set up as they did against Aston Villa (BBC Sport).
Could Spurs be in for a world of pain vs Man City?
Merson believes that the Australian coach will not veer away from his preferred attacking approach, which is why he expects the away side to ship a lot of goals on Sunday.
The Arsenal legend told Sportskeeda: “With the number of injuries Tottenham have got, there’s no way they’re beating City. I’d be worried going into this game if I were a Spurs fan.
“They might cause City a few problems on the break but if they leave themselves open like they did last weekend, they will be in trouble.
“I think if Tottenham were up to full strength, this would be game on. Spurs’ problem is that most of their sidelined stars are starters.
“That’s very unfortunate. I think Ange Postecoglou is going to stick to his principles and that’s going to cost him and his side dearly against City. Prediction: Man City 4-0 Tottenham.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There is absolutely no pressure on Spurs as no one expects us to get anything from this game. The players can look to express themselves on the pitch and hurt their opponents as the City backline has looked quite susceptible over recent weeks.