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Didi Hamann: Pundits are getting too carried away by Tottenham

The Champions League winner thinks Barcelona will batter Man United

Tottenham Hotspur won their opening Premier League match at their new stadium against Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur won their opening Premier League match at their new stadium against Crystal PalaceCredit: Catherine Ivill

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Newcastle to take care of Crystal Palace. These are the games where Rafa Benitez will get a tune out of his team.

Last week’s defeat at Arsenal won’t have worried Rafa – they were one loss in six prior to that and making sure they were taking points off teams around them.

A win here guarantees safety and I see Newcastle stepping up to the challenge.

Which favourites look most vulnerable?

Huddersfield’s luck has to change – even if it is too late – and I can see them avoiding defeat at home to Leicester at the very least.

Leicester are in good form under Brendan Rodgers but Huddersfield continue to play decent football without any cutting edge.

With the pressure off and futures to play for, I expect a response from the Terriers.

Who will reach the FA Cup final?

Manchester City and Wolves. No prizes for picking City, who will pound away at Brighton and eventually pick them off.

Wolves and Watford have surprised me this season but the extra class and pedigree lies in Wolves’ ranks.

There’s a maturity and a confidence about them that you rarely see in a promoted team.

Do you expect Huddersfield or Fulham to bounce back next season?

Huddersfield, no. Fulham, perhaps. Parachute payments should ensure they can recruit players and Fulham is an attractive place to go and play football.

Their problem is the depth of potential rivals – they could be going toe to toe with West Brom, Middlesbrough, Villa, Forest, Stoke and many more former top-flight powerhouses.

Can the new Tottenham stadium take them to the next level?

I doubt it. They are more likely to face some sort of meltdown rather than move to the next level.

Pundits are getting too carried away by Tottenham, who are basically overachieving because they have a fantastic manager in Mauricio Pochettino but he won’t be there forever. The stadium’s great, unlike Spurs’s long-term prospects.

Give us a winner on the midweek Champions League coupon

Barcelona to have a ball at Old Trafford and end the tie there and then.

I’ve been a fan of the life Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has breathed into Manchester United but you can’t ignore the fact that they’ve been riding their luck, including when they pipped PSG in the last 16.

Barca are in the type of scoring form that suggests they can finish this tie off in Manchester.


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