Paul Merson believes Tottenham’s season could already be “on the line” when they face Everton in north London today.
Spurs have made a miserable start to their Premier League campaign, taking one point from three games without scoring a goal. Everton, meanwhile, arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium unbeaten with five points from their opening three.
And Merson believes the pressure is firmly on Roberto De Zerbi’s side. Writing for Sky Sports, he said: “Spurs have to beat Everton this weekend. It’s a cup final for them – I’d go as far as to say this is their season on the line.
“If they lose to Everton, then you start thinking: this is going to be another grind of a season. Here we go again. You would start really, really worrying as a Tottenham fan.”
Merson did concede that today’s game isn’t quite as big as the meeting between the sides on the final day of last season, when Spurs needed a victory to guarantee their Premier League survival. But he believes another defeat would leave De Zerbi’s side in serious trouble after taking just one point from their opening four games.
It’s a lot of pressure to be carrying into the fourth league game of the season. Everton have their own poor record in north London to address, having lost their last five league visits to Spurs. Moyes will hope his unbeaten side can make Tottenham’s difficult start even worse.
For more ahead of kick-off, read our seven Tottenham v Everton stats Toffees fans need to know and our Tottenham Hotspur Stadium away guide.