Paul Merson makes Premier League predictions including Man City vs Liverpool

Paul Merson has delivered his predictions for the upcoming round of Premier League action, including the crunch title clash between Manchester City and Liverpool.

With just eight games remaining for each side, Sunday’s showdown at the Etihad Stadium is set to be pivotal in the title race.

Reigning Premier League champions City are currently in the lead, one point ahead of Liverpool going into this weekend’s meeting.

legend Merson is expecting the game to end 2-2, which he feels would give City a ‘massive advantage’ over their title rivals going into the latter stages of the campaign.

‘I watched in the UEFA the other day and I can’t remember touching the ball too many times. That said, the away side got two excellent chances on the break and I thought to myself that if it was Liverpool, they’d have scored,’ Merson told .

‘Given how much they dominated, City still left the door open at the back a little bit and Liverpool could look to exploit that. Both teams will want to win this one and neither of these two managers will look to play for a draw, so I can see a few goals being scored.

‘Coming to the team news, I think Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz will start up front for Liverpool. It’s harsh on Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino has been known to knit it together for Jurgen Klopp, but Diaz has settled quicker than snow and is on fire.

‘As for Manchester City, I don’t quite like the fact that they deploy a false 9 – their lack of a center forward has been a problem for them despite how good they are. Raheem Sterling played up front against Atleti and I felt he looked a bit lost, so you never quite know who’ll start this game. One thing is for certain – Manchester City have a lot of options and they could make six changes to their side and you still wouldn’t notice!

‘I think this game will end 2-2, meaning the two sides will carry on just as they did for the rest of the Premier League season. If it ends all square, it’s a massive advantage for Manchester City, as their fate will rest in their own hands. If the Cityzens draw the game and still end up losing the title, I’d be shocked.’

Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night saw them miss out on the chance to go above fourth-placed Tottenham.

Next up, Mikel Arteta’s side face Brighton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, and Merson is backing his former club to bounce back.

‘I expect Arsenal to jump straight back on the horse and win this game after dropping three valuable points against Crystal Palace. Brighton should have beaten Norwich City last time around, but they failed to score and looked underwhelming for large parts of the game,’ Merson added.

‘Nuno Tavares struggled against Palace but you have to understand that it’s hard for someone to come straight into these kinds of games and get going immediately. I felt a bit sorry for the bloke because he wasn’t playing for a bit and all of a sudden, he got thrust into the action. I think he’ll be alright in the weeks ahead and should keep his spot in the team in Kieran Tierney’s absence.’

Chelsea go into their weekend fixture off the back of two successive defeats across all competitions – against Brentford and Real Madrid.

Merson believes the Blues will fail to win again when they travel to St Mary’s to take on Southampton on Saturday.

‘What a week it’s been for Chelsea, they are in serious disarray after losses against Brentford and Real Madrid across two competitions. Southampton are a half-decent team and will always have a go regardless of who they face, so I think they can compile Chelsea’s misery this weekend,’ Merson continued.

‘The Blues will have one eye on the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, and I don’t think that tie is over yet. The first goal matters and the fact that the away goal rule has been scrapped will work to Chelsea’s advantage. If they score first in Spain, it’s game on.

‘At the moment Chelsea are safe in third place, but if they drop points once again and Arsenal beat Brighton, it could turn out to be a problem for them. Spurs also have a decent run coming up, so you never know.’

On Manchester United’s clash against Everton on Saturday, Merson added: ‘Everton suffered a damaging defeat against Burnley and could be in the bottom three by Saturday evening, but something tells me they’re going to beat Manchester United. This is a cup final for Frank Lampard’s side, and they will have to play consistently across 90 minutes to get a result, which has been a major problem for them in recent weeks.

‘Manchester United are just all over the place at the moment, they weren’t good enough against Leicester City last weekend. There’s a lot of talk that they’re better off without Cristiano Ronaldo, but I’m afraid I have to disagree with that idea. He’s not going to win them the Premier League – I said this when he joined the club – but they are certainly a better team with him. I have a feeling they might look to let him go this summer – we’ll have to wait and see how that situation develops under their new manager.

‘Everton’s next few games are absolutely atrocious and I think they’ll probably get relegated if they lose this one, as Burnley’s run-in looks a lot simpler on paper. After this game, they have Leicester twice, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal to play till the end of the campaign along with other teams. You can call me mad, but I can see the Toffees getting all three points here.’

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