Paul Merson states his prediction for Man United v Tottenham
Paul Merson is tipping Manchester United to bolster their top-four hopes with a win against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening
Paul Merson is backing Manchester United to beat Tottenham Hotspur to reignite their top-four hopes, despite admitting that Saturday’s Old Trafford clash is hard to predict.
Manchester United and Tottenham have both struggled to find consistency under different managers in the Premier League this season to leave the two clubs behind Arsenal in the race to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Manchester United lost 4-1 to Manchester City in the Manchester derby last weekend and Ralf Rangnick’s men were heavily criticised for an abject second-half display at the Etihad Stadium.
However, the Manchester United interim head coach has only lost three of his 17 games in charge of the Red Devils in all competitions.
The 20-time English champions will start the Premier League weekend in fifth position and a point behind Arsenal, although Rangnick’s side have played three games more than the Gunners.
Tottenham have won three of their last four Premier League games partly thanks to Harry Kane’s impressive return to form.
Spurs have scored 12 times in four games to bolster their top-four hopes despite finding themselves behind Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham United in the race to secure a spot in the Champions League next term.
Former Arsenal midfielder Merson is predicting that Manchester United will have too much quality for Tottenham.
“I don’t know when Tottenham will turn up and when they won’t,” Merson told Sportskeeda.
“It’s hard to predict. Both Manchester United and Tottenham are very similar. If either team won this game, you wouldn’t be shocked one bit. That’s been their Premier League season so far.
“Both these teams are like a pack of revels – you don’t know what you’re going to get. This is a pundit’s nightmare. Whichever way I call it, this could come back to bite me.”
Merson added: “I’m still living in the past, so I expect Manchester United to turn up in big Premier League games. They’ll have Cristiano Ronaldo back and they do have the home advantage.
“Both teams are chasing the top four, and I’ll back Manchester United to get ahead in the Premier League top-four race this weekend.”
Manchester United are looking to record a third successive victory over Tottenham in the Premier League.
The Red Devils were 3-0 winners against Spurs in north London back in October thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford.
Manchester United will host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Tuesday night.
