Arsenal legend Paul Merson has predicted that there will be quite a few goals when Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea meet in the Premier League this week. He believes the Blues have better players in every position and will come away with a comfortable victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur Stunned by Bournemouth; Chelsea Flying After Mega Southampton Win
Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will head into their Premier League Matchday 15 meeting in polar opposite moods. Ange Postecoglou’s side, who beat Manchester City 4-0 on Matchday 12, have crashed back down to earth, having suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Thursday night, December 6. With the defeat, Spurs have dropped to 10th place in the rankings, with them now sitting six points behind fourth-placed Man City.
Chelsea, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten Premier League run to six games, in style, on Matchday 14. The West London outfit came out all guns blazing against Southampton on Matchday 14 and secured a thumping 5-1 victory. The triumph allowed them to climb up to second place in the Premier League rankings. They are level on 28 points with second-place Arsenal but edged the Gunners out on goal difference (16 vs 14).
Paul Merson Predicts Comfortable Win for Enzo Maresca’s Boys
Predicting the outcome of the clash between Tottenham and Chelsea on Sunday, December 8, Merson wrote in his Sportskeeda column:
“The only thing that worries me with Chelsea is that they gave away a couple of really good chances to Southampton, even when they were only playing against 10 men. The goalkeeper made a great save at 3-1. If that goes in, it becomes 3-2. I’m not nitpicking with Chelsea, it was still a great result. But that would be my worry about them.
“It does not take anything away from the fact that they won 5-1 while resting many of their key players. That is a masterstroke from Enzo Maresca. When the team sheet came in, I thought, ‘oh my god, what are you doing? This is the Premier League, you can’t be taking any team lightly’. But those changes did not have a detrimental impact on Chelsea.”
Chelsea's Cole Palmer has just 10 fewer Premier League goal contributions than Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard in 67 fewer appearances 😮
Difference maker 🥶📈 pic.twitter.com/gBfMCU6fC7
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 4, 2024
He added:
“I wouldn’t label Chelsea as genuine title contenders though. It’s hard to call them that. They have a good squad, probably the strongest in the Premier League. But they played Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool this season and took just one point. That is why they are not contenders yet.
“If you’re a fan, Tottenham away from home is Chelsea’s biggest game of the season. Chelsea lost in this fixture last season so this is a huge game. If they can win against Spurs, it will send a massive statement. I won’t label Tottenham as one of the ‘big boys’ in the league but they are a team that can beat a lot of teams and we’ve seen that already this season.”
Merson concluded by adding:
“If Chelsea secure a top-four finish and win a trophy, this would become a phenomenal season for them. Anything more than that would be incredible but unlikely.
“Ange Postecoglou wants Tottenham to be entertaining that’s how they try to play. Chelsea have better players in nearly every position and may have too much for Spurs to handle.”
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Chelsea
