Paul Merson has predicted that Tottenham will win 2-1 against West Ham in North London on Saturday.
Spurs can take a major stride towards qualifying for the Champions League next season if they beat Manuel Pellegrini’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However they may have one eye on this season’s competition before they face West Ham as on Tuesday they will welcome Ajax to the capital in the semi-finals.
Merson believes that although it will be hard to not have the Ajax game in the back of their minds, Spurs should be able to beat the Hammers in the London derby fixture.
“It’ll be hard for Tottenham, with one eye on next week, they’ve got to. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, in my opinion. With the scores across the last week, they’re only a win away from the top four. But they can’t afford any injuries before the Ajax game,” said Merson on the Sky Sports website.
“You just don’t know what you’re going to get with West Ham. They are the Premier League bag of revels. One minute they have to score four to beat Huddersfield, then get ripped up by Everton at home, then go to United and nearly win. It’s a strange one.”
OPINION
West Ham have been so inconsistent this season while Tottenham are bound to prioritise their clash against Ajax after their win against Brighton earlier this week gave them a huge boost in their bid to finish in the top-four. Although no Spurs fan will want to see their side lose against the Hammers, they would no doubt take that if it mean that key players were well rested for the semi-final with Ajax. Although the Dutch giants have knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League this season, they are a team that Spurs could definitely beat if they have all their best players available. That might mean that some are rested for the match against West Ham. However because Pellegrini’s men are so unpredictable, they might even struggle against a weakened Spurs side. As Merson says, this is definitely a strange one, but Tottenham should be able to earn all three points.