Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur will face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
Tottenham will take on Bournemouth away from home in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Spurs will head into the match on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Ajax in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final tie at White Hart Lane.
The second leg of the tie is in Amsterdam next Wednesday, and Spurs manager Pochettino will have an eye on that game, especially with the North London outfit still having the chance to go through.
Former Arsenal striker Smith believes that Spurs players look tired, and he has also predicted Pochettino to field his best team against Bournemouth in order to secure their place in the top four of the Premier League this season.
Tottenham are third in the Premier League table at the moment with 70 points from 36 matches, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United just behind them and all in the hunt for a Champions League campaign.
Smith wrote in The London Evening Standard: “An ambitious club that has spent a fortune on the best stadium in the world absolutely needed Champions League football next season. Anything less would have been a hammer blow, both in a financial sense and for morale.
“So, this trip to the south coast represents a great chance to end all the doubts and leave Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to scrap it out for the remaining spot. For that reason, Pochettino may well decide to field the best team available rather than save some for Amsterdam.
“I know they’ve looked tired lately, but the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son can use Champions League qualification as a launching pad for better things. I’ve a feeling, in fact, that they will give Ajax a very tough time next Wednesday.”
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