Paul Merson on top four race ahead of Aston Villa vs Tottenham

Tottenham sit five points behind Sunday’s opponents, Aston Villa, with a game in hand and they will want to avenge the loss they suffered to Villa in the reverse fixture.

Unai Emery’s men emerged with a 2-1 win from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in November. Back then it seemed somewhat a dream that Villa would be fighting for the Champions League places come the business end of the campaign, however, that is exactly how it’s played – but Spurs may have a say in that.

Arsenal legend Paul Merson is of the opinion that if Aston Villa secure a victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, it will effectively eliminate the Lilywhites’ hopes of finishing in the top four this season.

With Manchester United experiencing two consecutive defeats before their recent win over Everton, thereby losing ground in the race for fourth place, the competition for the final guaranteed Champions League spot appears to be between Villa and Spurs – the two lock horns at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon.

Merson on Aston Villa vs Tottenham

Merson stated in his Sportskeeda column: “Both teams play such a high line and have a bunch of talented attacking players, so this will be an entertaining game of football. If Villa win, I think they’ll put the top-four race to bed, which is honestly an unbelievable feat.”

Merson went on to predict plenty of goals for this match: the Arsenal legend has gone for a two-all draw.

If the Villans finish the season in the Champions League spots then it would be a remarkable achievement for the club. We’ve seen recent miraculous stories such as Leicester City clinching the Premier League title and whilst this story wouldn’t be comparable to the Foxes’ it does serve as a reminder that the English top-flight is highly competitive and nothing can be ruled out.