Paul Merson predicts result of Everton Premier League showdown v Tottenham
Paul Merson has predicted that Everton will be unable to extend their winning run to five Premier League matches when they face Tottenham on Saturday 23 December.
The Sky Sports pundit believes that Sean Dyche’s side will be unable to bounce back from their Carabao Cup defeat to Fulham when they travel to North London, suggesting the home advantage will help Spurs, predicting that they’ll win 3-1.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have won both of their last two matches and have had a full week of recovery and Merson believes Tottenham’s attacking talent will nullify Everton’s recent good form in the league.
Writing for Sportskeeda (21 December) he said: “Everton are flying in the Premier League. The midweek Carabao Cup loss to Fulham in the quarter-final was unfortunate. Tottenham also have their frontline firing right now. Richarlison is playing well and so is Dejan Kulusevski. Son Heung-min is enjoying a revival of sorts.
“Spurs are going to suffer next month when some of their biggest stars will leave for AFCON and the AFC Asian Cup. However, I think they have enough firepower to pull through.
“I think Tottenham are going to use their home advantage to go on and secure all three points against The Toffees despite the latter’s upturn in form in recent weeks.”
Time to bounce back
Everton will be incredibly disappointed by the manner in which they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in midweek as the Toffees had a genuine chance of lifting some silverware, but they have a chance to bounce back quickly against Spurs.
Postecoglou’s side have been impressive so far this season and Spurs do have an abundance of attacking talent, but Dyche’s side have proven hard to break down in recent weeks and they’ll feel confident that they can keep the Toffees quiet.
Spurs have their own weaknesses in defence due to an ongoing injury crisis and if Everton can attack with the same vigour they did when they beat Newcastle, they have the potential to cause an upset and claim all three points.
This really feels like a game that could go either way depending on which Tottenham and which Everton side turn up. Hopefully, Merson will be wrong and the Toffees will continue to defy the odds by picking up all three points.
In other Everton news, Dyche has made a new admission surrounding the January transfer window at Goodison Park