Paul Merson predicts Tottenham FA Cup clash against Fulham, states the problem for Spurs
By Amir Mir
Paul Merson has backed Tottenham to overcome Fulham and beat them 2-1 in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon at Craven Cottage.
Sky Sports pundit Merson believes the problem for Spurs is that their fixture list is piling up due to their commitments in the Europa League and the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were beaten 1-0 against Gent on Thursday night during the first-leg of their Europa League round of 32 tie.
The return leg against the Belgian outfit will take place four days later, with their Premier League clash against Stoke three days after that.
Ahead of the all-London clash, former Arsenal midfielder Merson delivered his verdict on Spurs and the tough task ahead of them.
“This should be a good game. Fulham are a good football team and Tottenham have got a lot of other commitments with the Europa League and a big battle to finish in the top four,” Merson told Sky Sports. “With the way things have gone in recent weeks, that’s really not a foregone conclusion and they need to stay in the Europa League as another way of getting into the Champions League next year.
“They’ve got some nice fixtures coming up, although they won’t want a draw and a replay because they don’t want more games to contend with. I think Spurs will just about nick this one.”
Pochettino’s side avoided an upset during the last round when they beat League Two Wycombe 4-3 by scoring in stoppage time.
Meanwhile, their weekend opponents thrashed Premier League strugglers Hull 4-1 on home soil and will be looking to put in the same sort of performance this time round.
In the Championship, Fulham are fighting to earn promotion to the Premier League as they currently sit six points outside the play-off places.
During their last two home matches, they have recorded 3-2 wins against Nottingham Forest and Wigan respectively.
Playmaker Tom Cairney, who has been Fulham’s best player this term, will be looking to pull the strings in the middle of the park and hoping to overcome a tough Spurs midfield.
In other Tottenham news, Graham Roberts has aimed a dig at Arsenal and Sol Campbell, fans will lover his comments.
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