A prediction has been made that Tottenham Hotspur will not finish in the top four. This is according to Michael Owen, who played for Liverpool and Manchester United.
The Premier League (PL) released its "Pundits' Top 4 Predictions for the Season" on its official social media accounts on November 11. All six experts believe that Manchester City will win the title and Liverpool will finish second, but they are split on the third and fourth spots.
Owen did not include Tottenham in his top four. Owen predicted the surging Unai Emery-led Aston Villa to finish third and Arsenal to finish fourth. With the current top four (Liverpool, Aston Villa, Man City, and Arsenal) only changing positions, he believes the same four teams will qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Owen is best known as a striker who played for Liverpool and Manchester United. He is a top-class striker who scored 158 goals in his career with Liverpool and won the Ballon d'Or. He was also a two-time PL top scorer. After finishing his career at Liverpool, Owen went on to play for Real Madrid and Newcastle United before joining Manchester United, where he lifted the PL trophy.
Unlike Owen, there were other experts who made it to Tottenham's top four. Darren Bent is one of them. Bent predicted that Aston Villa would fall and Tottenham would finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Bent played for Tottenham for two years, starting in the 2007-08 season. In 79 appearances, Bent scored 25 goals and provided seven assists as Tottenham won the League Cup in 2007-08.
The race for the top four is bloody. Only three points separate second-place Aston Villa (42 points) and fifth-place Tottenham (39 points). Even Man City and Arsenal, in third and fourth place, are separated by 40 points. Every game is more important than ever.
Tottenham will need to get through the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. They are without captain Son Heung-min and midfield stalwart Pape Sarr. How well they fill the void will be key in the battle for fourth place.
Spurs return to action on October 15 when they travel to Manchester United for the PL 21st round at 1:30pm. Spurs have upgraded their lineup this winter with the addition of Timo Werner and Leroy Sane. They'll be looking for a win to stay in the fight for fourth place.
