Merson and Sutton agree on Chelsea vs Spurs score prediction amid Mudryk claim
Paul Merson and Chris Sutton have made a prediction that Chelsea will break their four-game winless streak in the Premier League by defeating Tottenham. On Sunday afternoon, Tottenham will host Chelsea in north London while Graham Potter hopes to improve his team’s recent performances.
Chelsea are currently trailing Tottenham by ten points in fourth place. There are doubts about the future of Chelsea’s manager, making this an ideal opportunity to silence his critics with a victory in the derby.
Merson has advised Potter not to include two particular players in Tottenham’s starting lineup if Chelsea wants to secure a win at N17.
In his column for SportsKeeda, the former Arsenal midfielder wrote: “This is one of Chelsea’s biggest games of the season. These are two teams that do not like each other.
“If Chelsea go and get beaten here, it adds more pressure on Potter. I want him to stay. I’m not sure if he’s the one bringing these players in. I’m watching these players and I wonder whether these signings are better than the players they’ve got.
“They are absolutely not. So why are they buying these players? They might very well offload players like Mason Mount and Conor Gallager and profit off their sales because they are academy graduates. And then suddenly, they’ll figure out that the club has lost its soul.
“If Chelsea play the team that squared off against Southampton last weekend, they won’t win the game against Spurs. If Potter goes back to his tried and tested system, the Blues will beat Spurs all day long.
“What I love about Potter is that he has looked after the club and the players before himself. He is under major pressure. He could have played Reece James and Thiago Silva last weekend because he has a job to keep. But what did he do? He didn’t want to risk injuries for those players and chose to leave them out
“He has looked after them. He could have chosen not to protect those players but he opted to look at the bigger picture. I think he needs to be given until next Christmas and afforded a proper pre-season with this team. If it doesn’t work out by Christmas, then even he’ll understand it’s best to part ways.
“Tottenham are in the FA Cup, they’re in the Champions League and they are in the top four in the Premier League. We’re sitting thinking that Spurs are blowing hot and cold. But the fact is that they blow hot more often than they are cold. They’ve got Harry Kane. He is a big difference-maker for them.
“This is the starting XI I hope Potter goes with: Kepa, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Enzo Fernandez, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Joao Felix. If this team plays, they will beat Tottenham 3-0. If he plays Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, they won’t beat Spurs.”
Sutton is in agreement with Merson and has also predicted a 2-1 victory for Chelsea. He is worried that Tottenham will display their typical tendencies of underperforming in key games, also known as being “Spursy”.
The former Blackburn Rovers striker said: “What a game this is. Chelsea’s record against Tottenham is excellent – they have won more Premier League games against them than any other opponents (33), and have taken 20 points from the past 24 available in this fixture, but it all counts for little here.
“Chelsea boss Graham Potter really needs a win on Sunday because I think Blues fans are at tipping point and would not stand for losing to their bitter rivals. I actually admire Chelsea owner Todd Boehly for sticking with Potter so far but, just like at West Ham, that will change if his results don’t improve.
“This Chelsea team just can’t score goals though, while Tottenham are doing all right at the moment, with the old Harry Kane and Son Heung-min double act working again. It all points to a Tottenham win but they have been very inconsistent – or ‘Spursy’ – this season and I just have a feeling this might be the day where things go Potter’s way for once.”
Merson and Sutton agree on Chelsea vs Spurs score prediction amid Mudryk claim
