Paul Merson predicts Tottenham v Bournemouth – One goal will separate the teams

Paul Merson has made his prediction ahead of Tottenham v Bournemouth and he believes there is one key factor which could influence the outcome of the game.

Tottenham are seeking to return to winning ways this weekend, but their opponents have no intention to make things easy. Bournemouth are having an excellent season and overcame Spurs in the most recent meeting between the two sides.

While Tottenham won this fixture last season, Bournemouth pulled off a shock victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the 2022/23 campaign. Dominic Solanke was key to that success, registering a goal and two assists.

The away side will be looking to defeat Tottenham once again in their own backyard and there is a reasonable chance this could happen. Even if Tottenham’s defeats to Manchester City and AZ Alkmaar in their past two matches are disregarded, there is a key reason why Spurs could be defeated on Sunday.

Tottenham are focused on the Europa League

Spurs have considerable ground to make up in the Premier League to qualify for Europe next season. Their best chance of achieving this is by winning the Europa League. After a lacklustre 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar, preparing for the second leg will become even more of a priority.

This is what Paul Merson thinks and he believes this is the main reason why Spurs are about to lose their third consecutive match in all competitions.

Making his prediction on Sportskeeda, he said: “This is all going to come down to what happens with Tottenham in the Europa League. I don’t think Spurs have any interest in this match.

“Considering their upcoming fixtures, they have no chance of getting into Europe through league standings!

“So I won’t blame Tottenham if they rest players this weekend. Spurs will have one eye on AZ Alkmaar and I feel Bournemouth will win because of that.

“Three points here would put Bournemouth in contention for a top-four finish, what an incredibly exciting time for this football club.”

Score prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Bournemouth

Ange Postecoglou may not rest his Spurs players against Bournemouth

Ange Postecoglou’s men had a long rest after their last Premier League match against Manchester City, so they will not be as dead on their feet as they have previously been. Also, there is a gap of more than four days between the Bournemouth game and the Europa League last 16 second leg.

Spurs will be eager not to slump even further down the Premier League Table and certainly will not go down without a fight on Sunday. It would not be surprising if Postecoglou opts to field a full-strength side regardless of the upcoming must-win European fixture.

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