Roy Keane has backed boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur to escape Premier League relegation.
The former Manchester United captain, who grew up supporting Spurs, said that either Nottingham Forest or West Ham United would join Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers in dropping into the Sky Bet Championship.
Tottenham slipped into the relegation zone before suffering a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday (12 April) in Roberto De Zerbi’s first match as head coach.
With six top-flight games to go, the north London side are two points below the Hammers and three behind Forest, while Leeds United, in 15th place, are six clear of danger after their 2-1 victory at Manchester United on Monday (13 April).
Keane said that his former club Forest could be hindered by their European commitments.
They beat Porto last night (Thursday 16 April) to go through to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Leeds, meanwhile, have the potential distraction of an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Sunday 26 April.
Before the Europa League quarter-final second-leg matches last night, Keane said on the Overlap podcast Stick to Football: “Spurs are staying up. I think they’ll get enough points. One of them (Forest or West Ham) will go down instead.
“Forest have a European game. Those European games can be a distraction for Forest. If they get through against Porto, they get different challenges and demands.
“Forest have European football. Leeds have the distraction (of the FA Cup).
“Leeds were like Real Madrid against (Manchester) United!”
Tottenham are yet to win a league game in 2026 and have taken just five points from the last 42 available.
De Zerbi’s first home game is tomorrow (Saturday 18 April) against his in-form former team Brighton and Hove Albion.
Keane’s fellow pundit Gary Neville said that Spurs’ relegation rivals had the advantage of showing “some form of pattern” in how they operated.
Keane said: “I get all that, of course. But sometimes football is a mad game.
“These three teams (Leeds, Forest and West Ham), you’re going logically they’re in the form. They’ve got something about them. They are more of a goal threat.
“Spurs lack confidence, lack a bit of fight. Midfield are a problem. They’re not creating anything. But I still think they’ll get out of it.
“I just can’t imagine the fixtures coming out next year and Tottenham are in the Championship. I just can’t see it.”
According to the Telegraph, De Zerbi took his players out for a team-bonding meal in central London on Wednesday evening (15 April).
Midfielder Lucas Bergvall is confident that Tottenham can avoid playing in the second tier for the first time since the 1977-78 season.
The Sweden International said: “We are going to keep going until the very end.
“Even though it has been a really tough season, there are still six games left and we just need to go out there and give everything.
“There have also been lots of conversations with the players to get a better view of each other and how we can turn it around because we are focused on the task ahead.
“I know we can win them and I know we can turn this around. I also know our supporters will do everything to give us an extra edge, too. We are one. Let’s fight together.”
