Despite being separated by 11 places in the Premier League table, Paul Merson believes that there is not a lot between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
Spurs desperately need to return to winning ways on Sunday against the Hammers on the back of a humiliating 4-1 loss at the King Power Stadium last Saturday which was followed by a lacklustre display at the San Siro on Tuesday, with Milan emerging 1-0 winners.
Despite their poor run of form since the restart, Tottenham find themselves only two points off Newcastle United in fourth place and could move into the top four over the weekend, with Eddie Howe’s men losing to Liverpool on Saturday.
However, the Lilywhites will once again be without Antonio Conte for Sunday’s clash, with the Italian recovering from the surgery to remove his gall-bladder at his family home in Italy.
Merson admitted that the London derby is too close to call, given the inconsistencies of both Spurs and West Ham.
When asked to predict the result of the clash, the former Arsenal midfielder told Sportskeeda: “Tottenham did pretty well against AC Milan and they kept the scoreline down to 1-0.
“They were never going to win that game if I’m being honest. If Tottenham could play against City every week at home, they’d be all right. They’d sit back and play on the counter.
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“West Ham are a pretty good team and on their day, there’s not a lot between these teams. Both these sides are a bag of rebels. In a game like this where Tottenham need to go and get a win, you don’t know what you’re going to get.
“They could win this game by a 3-0 margin or play out a draw, and no one would be shocked. It’s a pundit’s nightmare. I would be shocked if they lost, however, because they set up to avoid defeat in Premier League matches.”
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 West Ham United.
Spurs Web Opinion
Few of us can argue with Merson and I do not think many Spurs fans would be surprised if West Ham overturns us on Sunday, even though we sit 11 places above David Moyes’ men above the table.
The Hammers always compete in this fixture as it is their biggest derby game of the season. Unless we are completely switched on and match their intensity, I do not see us getting all three points.
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