The battle for the fourth Champions League spot in the Premier League is becoming fiercely competitive, as both Tottenham and Aston Villa are in pursuit.
Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal are all but certain to secure the top three spots, leaving Spurs and the Villains to compete for the coveted fourth place in the English top-flight standings.
The Lilywhites currently hold the 5th position in the table with 60 points, trailing Aston Villa by 3 points in 4th place. However, Tottenham has a game in hand, which could potentially reduce the gap between them and Villa.
Former English footballer Paul Merson has offered his prediction on who will emerge as the eventual winner in this closely fought battle.
Sky Sports pundit backs Aston Villa to take the 4th spot
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Arsenal midfielder Merson predicted who will claim the final 4th spot between Aston Villa and Spurs.
He backed Unai Emery’s team to clinch 4th place, highlighting Tottenham’s challenging upcoming fixtures and their inconsistency, referencing varying outcomes such as their 3-0 defeat to Fulham and recent 4-0 loss against Newcastle United.
Merson said (quotes via TBR):
“They have got the hardest games, Tottenham, they can affect the Premier League by playing the three teams, but I have just got to go with Aston Villa at the moment.
“I have to go with Villa. I think they are so up and down at the moment, Tottenham, you know the Fulham result, they got slaughtered and then last week against Newcastle, it’s so up and down, it’s a bag of revels at the moment, they need consistency.”
Ange Postecoglou’s side cannot afford any more setbacks if they intend to secure the last spot to compete in Europe’s elite competition next season.
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