Paul Merson has warned Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur that Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea will ‘cause problems’ tonight.

Tottenham have the chance to return to the top of the Premier League table if they can secure all three points against a Chelsea side sitting in the bottom half of the table.

But Paul Merson feels someone like Raheem Sterling will cause Spurs issues on the counter-attack and how he is ‘unplayable’ on his day, as he told Sky Sports News (04/11/23 1:35 pm).

The former Arsenal attacker, who is a boyhood Chelsea fan, added that he can’t understand why Raheem Sterling isn’t playing for England.

Even though the 27-year-old has previously been a key player for Gareth Southgate, he has since been left out of England’s squads because of his poor form.

That stems from last season, but under Mauricio Pochettino, he has started to find some magic and he will be hoping to showcase that against Tottenham tonight.

Raheem Sterling against Tottenham

“Anybody who comes out and plays, they have a chance,” said Merson. “Tottenham have to come out and play. They are playing with confidence and it will open the game up.

“Raheem Sterling and Jackson on the counter-attack. Cole Palmer is absolutely outstanding, the guile of the kid. The way he finds passes. The intelligence.

“This lad (Sterling), how he doesn’t get in the England squad is beyond me. He is the one player, if he is on song, he is unplayable. I think, on the counter-attack, Chelsea will cause problems.

“Tottenham will cause problems, of course they will, but for the first time in a very long time, Spurs will be turning up on Monday night and expecting to

Tottenham v Chelsea

On paper, Spurs should ease past their London rivals and secure the three points because the difference between the two is pretty big.

But given the quality of players on show, and the fact that Pochettino is returning to his old stomping ground, then it isn’t going to be as straightforward as that.

Either way, a win for either side would equate to it being a statement of intent because the duo are still heavyweight teams.

Plus, you will get the bragging rights, with Spurs possibly having the cherry on top of the cake that they can go top of the table and put more pressure on their former manager