Bournemouth play host to Tottenham hotspur in the Premier League tomorrow.
Paul Merson suggested that the Tottenham players will have one eye on their Champions League clash with Ajax when they take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium tomorrow, when speaking exclusively to Sky Sports.
Spurs currently sit in third spot in the Premier League table, two points clear of fourth placed Chelsea, and a further two in front of north London rivals Arsenal.
A win against the Cherries would guarantee Tottenham their fourth consecutive top four finish, but with such an important game to come against Ajax on Wednesday night, Mauricio Pochettino might just be tempted to shuffle his pack.
And Merson suggested that Spurs could get beat tomorrow at Bournemouth, if Pochettino does in fact play a weakened team against Eddie Howe’s side, when speaking exclusively to Sky Sports:
“Tottenham need to get something, because if Chelsea or Arsenal pick up points that’ll make life difficult, but they’re still in the Champions League – they’re still in it, and I think the players will be a bit like they were against West Ham. They’ll be thinking about that game on the Wednesday. They (Bournemouth) are hot and cold but they’ll cause problems and I think Spurs will rest players.”
Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Tottenham
Qualification for next season’s Champions League is still in Tottenham’s hands, and if they fail to get the job done against Bournemouth, they have an other chance to secure a top four finish when they welcome Everton to north London for their final game of the season.
Pochettino will of course prefer his side to wrap things up tomorrow, but Bournemouth away is never an easy game, and if Spurs are slightly off the pace, they could get beaten easily.
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