Martin Keown believes that Tottenham must get something out of their trip to Liverpool at the weekend to ensure they finish in the top four of the Premier League this season.
Spurs visit Anfield on Sunday afternoon and go into the match on the back of a 2-0 win at home to Manchester United.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are currently fifth in the league standings and the race for the Champions League spots is hotting up.
The north London club are currently two points adrift of Liverpool (third) and Chelsea (fourth), while Man United are a further five points ahead.
Spurs should feel confident going into their upcoming clash with Liverpool after they annihilated them 4-1 in the last meeting between the two clubs.
Pundit Keown has issued a huge ultimatum on Pochettino’s side ahead of their trip to Merseyside and stressed the importance of avoiding defeat against one of their main rivals if they want to end up in the top four.
“The fight for the top four is on and Chelsea could well be the team to suffer,” Keown wrote during a question-and-answer session (2:21pm) for the Daily Mail.
“I feel Tottenham can wrestle one of those Champions League places… but they have to get something from Anfield.”
OPINION
Keown’s claims that Spurs’ top four fate lies solely on the upcoming Liverpool clash is a bit over the top, but there is no guarantee what a huge fixture it is. Pochettino’s team have managed to close the gap to just two points behind the top four and are entering a run of fixtures that could see them catapult into the Champions League spots. There are still 13 league games to go this season and there are plenty of twists that are likely to happen, with Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth on Wednesday night a prime example. Spurs can deliver a big psychological blow to rivals Liverpool if they beat them at Anfield and appear to be rediscovering their top form.