Paul Merson expects Chelsea to record a narrow win in the London derby against Tottenham on Thursday evening.
The Blues are not exactly in great form but, writing in his Sportskeeda column, Merson said that their opponents have been very poor themselves and he still believes Enzo Maresca’s men will come out on top at Stamford Bridge:
“This is Chelsea’s main game of the season. It’s definitely high stakes but still a fixture they are expected to win! We always wait for Tottenham to come good, saying stuff like, ‘Oh, they will get better when they have all their players fit’, but it never happens!
“Chelsea have not been great this season, but I’d be shocked if they don’t win this game. It’s a must-win game for them too. I expect Manchester City and Newcastle to win this gameweek and Forest will also get a point. Now that puts pressure on Chelsea in the race for top four. If they don’t beat Tottenham, they could slip to sixth in the table.”
What score is Merson predicting?
The Sky Sports pundit has gone with a 2-1 win to Chelsea. That scoreline may be too close for comfort for supporters who would be hoping for a more straightforward victory against a struggling opponent.
Spurs have a poor away record, having picked up 18 points from 14 games. They have actually been better defensively on the road than they have been at home, which is an odd quirk, so that may suggest it could be a tightly-contested game, much like Merson suggests.
Chelsea v Tottenham team news
Cole Palmer (muscular), Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke (both hamstring) are expected to return to the matchday squad. Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman (hamstring) remain on the treatment table.
The Lilywhites, meanwhile, should have Lucas Bergvall back from illness but there are doubts over the fitness of Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Kevin Danso (hamstring) and Richarlison (calf). Radu Dragusin is out for the season with a knee injury.