Premier League Predictions: Chris Sutton vs Travis Bassist Dougie Payne

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 16:30 GMT

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou faced heavy criticism after going to speak to some Spurs fans after Thursday’s defeat to Bournemouth.

Football is a volatile business sometimes. It wasn’t a good result, but you only have to go back a week or two and they were cheering Ange after the win at the Etihad Stadium.

Usually I expect a reaction from Spurs but they are so unpredictable I don’t know what will happen. They could win this game 4–0 as they did against Manchester City, or lose by the same score.

So, I’m going with Chelsea here. Although I wonder about his experience, I think Enzo Maresca’s team are title contenders, even if he insists they are not.

Maresca may actually believe this, or he may be saying this to take pressure off his players.

When I won the title with Blackburn in 1995, club owner Jack Walker always planned to win it the next year, but when you’re in the title race and keep winning there’s no reason why you can’t accept being ahead. Don’t do it. Of schedule.

Everyone criticized Chelsea’s owners for spending so much on so many players and building such a big squad, but perhaps there was a method to what people saw as madness.

They are playing with real confidence at the moment and look completely different to last season’s team. Nicholas Jackson is an example of how much he has improved and after being rested against Southampton in midweek, he will be fresh and ready to go.

This was last year’s game where Spurs were down to nine men and lost 4–1. If there is any doubt about the style of play of their players, Chelsea may be able to tear them apart this time too.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-3

Dougie’s prediction: Tottenham are almost as surprising as Rangers. I love Ange and how it’s a case of, ‘That’s just the way I play and you can like it or mess with it.’ It’s great to watch them because you don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s just chaos theory.

As far as Chelsea are concerned, Maresca seems to have benefited from this huge squad. Jackson has looked great, while Cole Palmer is next level. It could be anything, but Chelsea look more dangerous at the moment. 2-3