Merson: 'Huge game' between Spurs and Aston Villa is a 'momentum swinger'

Sky Sports' Paul Merson looks ahead to Saturday's match between two winless sides in the Premier League as Tottenham host Aston Villa; the Magic Man believes it is a "momentum swinger" of a game; Merse also assesses Arsenal's chances of defending their Premier League title

In his latest Sky Sports column, Paul Merson looks ahead to Saturday's "huge" game between Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Both teams are winless in the Premier League, with Spurs looking for their first league goal of the season.

Read below for the Magic Man's thoughts on the "momentum swinger" game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as he also assesses Arsenal's chances of defending their Premier League title.

"The first 15, 20 minutes I thought they [Spurs] were outstanding [vs Everton].

"I thought the way they passed it, moved it, it caused problems for Everton. But they didn't get that goal. And when they don't get that goal, then that mindset sets in again.

"I think they'd still be playing now [without scoring], wouldn't they? That is the problem. They need to score early. And confidence is the thing as well.

"I say any footballer, I don't care if you're under-10s or professional, if you can bottle one thing, it's confidence.

"And at the moment, they just haven't got that confidence and the belief. And that's the problem, that belief."

"No. I think they [Villa] have too many good players, if I'm being honest. I think it was a terrible result against Nottingham Forest. It was worrying.

"They were dominating but couldn't score a goal. But I'd be shocked if they got relegated.

"They've got too many good players, and they've got one of the best managers in the business. They're just having a little bit of a time at the moment.

"I do think this is a big game this weekend [vs Tottenham], though. It's a huge game. Down at the bottom, if you're down there, you're down there.

"I don't worry about Tottenham or Villa, but I think it's a big game for both teams because it's a momentum swinger.