Paul Merson’s Premier League predictions, including Man City v Spurs, Ruben Amorim opener and Arsenal ‘cup final’

The lone crushed wherefore you would deliberation Leicester person a accidental present is due to the fact that we are coming disconnected an planetary break. Chelsea would person had players progressive with their nationalist teams and their question could person been tiring. But I would inactive person to spell with Chelsea successful this one. They are playing alright and I person a feeling this could beryllium an casual win.

The crippled against Arsenal was rather adjacent and it shows Chelsea are connected the close way nether Enzo Maresca. Four years ago, Chelsea would person mislaid that crippled aft conceding archetypal but they ended up grabbing a point.

I would beryllium shocked if Chelsea finished supra Arsenal though. Their squad is truly young and I uncertainty they tin get 3rd spot this season. If they triumph the Europa Conference League and decorativeness wrong the apical four, that would number arsenic a palmy campaign. It volition besides marque them the archetypal nine to triumph each 3 European trophies connected connection now.

Leicester are not expected to origin Chelsea a batch of problems here. I’m predicting an casual triumph for the Blues.

Prediction: Leicester 0-3 Chelsea

Wolves got a monolithic effect earlier the planetary interruption erstwhile they bushed Southampton. But this is simply a truly hard crippled for them against Fulham. After the crippled astatine Craven Cottage, they look Bournemouth, Everton, West Ham, Ipswich Town and Leicester. Gary O’Neill has to look astatine those fixtures and judge they tin enactment connected a spot of a run.

If Wolves are not six points wide of the relegation portion by the extremity of December, they volition get relegated!

Fulham are underrated successful my opinion. Marco Silva is doing a large occupation there. Over the years, we person had teams similar Brighton and Brentford who tin upset large teams. Fulham are successful that class now. They are expected to get immoderate bully results this play and origin problems on the mode for the large boys successful the league.

I don’t deliberation Fulham volition suffice for European shot though. There are stronger teams than them that are competing for it and they could travel up short. However, this crippled against Wolves shouldn’t beryllium a occupation for them.

Prediction: Fulham 2-0 Wolves

Everton request to commencement winning shot matches. It’s becoming a spot of a five-horse contention to debar relegation present and I volition not number Everton successful that. But if they bash what they did against Southampton a fewer weeks ago, they volition beryllium pulled backmost into that conversation!

It’s due to the fact that of the mode Everton play that I consciousness they volition ever someway get retired of occupation successful the end. Make nary mistake, this is simply a hard crippled for Everton and I don’t deliberation they volition win. I look astatine this crippled and Brentford are a squad that people a batch of goals, Everton don’t. So I person to backmost Brentford to triumph here.

Who request a subordinate successful January? Bryan Mbeumo is simply a bully choice. One happening that was missing from his crippled was goals, but present helium has brought that to the array arsenic well. It depends connected who wants to motion him though. I don’t spot a mid-table nine spending £40-50million to get him successful January. So it’s a question of whether 1 of the large boys privation him, I uncertainty that. He has to support doing what helium is doing for the remainder of the season. If helium does that, helium volition beryllium bought by someone, 1 cardinal per cent sure.

Prediction: Everton 0-1 Brentford

It is simply a tricky crippled for Arsenal due to the fact that they person nary much mistakes near successful them now. They person to support winning, it’s arsenic elemental arsenic that. Nottingham Forest are really a amended squad distant from home. But that decision to Newcastle is simply a motion of their bully commencement dilatory wearing disconnected now.

I consciousness Arsenal’s midfield volition beryllium excessively overmuch for Forest successful this game. The likes of Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey volition predominate them. Forest are ever a menace connected the counter-attack, but I’m not definite if Chris Wood tin origin galore problems to the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

This is simply a cupful last for Arsenal, a must-win game. Mikel Arteta and institution person immoderate beauteous fixtures coming upand volition beryllium hopeful of putting connected a coagulated run. I backmost them to triumph their adjacent six oregon 7 games and it starts with this one.

Except Liverpool, they person present already played distant games against each the teams that finished successful the apical six past season. And we’re lone 11 games into the season! That shows however pugnacious a tally they’ve had and present it’s clip for them to bask immoderate of the comparatively easier fixtures. Arsenal person to support winning and if they triumph their adjacent six oregon 7 games, they volition beryllium backmost successful the rubric contention and volition person each accidental to triumph it.

If it becomes a 12-point spread betwixt them and the league leaders, past Arsenal person nary chance. They are 9 points down Liverpool now,. that’s wherefore it’s a cupful last from present on.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Nottingham Forest

What a crippled we person connected our hands here, this volition beryllium good. Brighton bushed Manchester city, they should person bushed Liverpool excessively successful my opinion. There’s not a batch incorrect with this tea, conscionable similar their opponents Bournemouth. That’s wherefore this is 1 of the astir entertaining games of the week successful my opinion, determination volition goals successful it too.

If I had to prime 1 standout players from Bournemouth I would take Evanilson. To travel into this league and play, it’s truly difficult. But helium looks lively and a existent threat. He has amazed maine with however good helium has been playing aft coming here. I would adjacent accidental he’s doing amended than Dominic Solanke astatine the moment, which is brainsick considering helium is the replacement for the second astatine Bournemouth.

Evanilson has scored 4 goals successful his past six appearances and that includes immoderate important goals similar the 1 successful the triumph implicit Manchester City and the precocious equaliser distant from location astatine Aston Villa. Not galore players from Portugal travel present and bash that well, Cristiano Ronaldo is an exception!

I would similar to accidental immoderate things astir Danny Welbeck arsenic well. He has been outstanding for Brighton this season. He plays each week, virtually each crippled and stills scores goals astatine this age. Barring the past 2 games, helium had 4 goals successful 5 matches. They were large goals too, particularly that 1 successful the comeback triumph implicit Tottenham. I person to springiness him a peculiar mention, his extremity returns person improved truthful much.

Prediction: Bournemouth 2-2 Brighton

Big crippled for some teams. Aston Villa person to get backmost to winning ways. Form-wise they person dropped disconnected a spot and they indispensable crook that astir quickly. Villa are without a triumph successful their past 5 games crossed each competitions having mislaid 4 connected the trot aft the gully with Bournemouth.

During this wretched tally of form, Crystal Palace bushed Villa successful the EFL Cup circular of 16 clash. But Palace are inactive successful a spot of occupation successful the league successful my opinion. After this travel to Villa, they person immoderate immense games coming up wherever they look Newcastle, Ipswich, Manchester City, Brighton and Arsenal. That’s a pugnacious run.

I’m backing Villa to get backmost connected way with a triumph here. They are ninth successful the league present and if they don’t triumph again, they volition drift distant from the large boys quickly. I cognize they are lone 1 constituent distant from 3rd spot but determination are a batch of teams successful beforehand of them. Their extremity quality is zero, which is madness. Tottenham are really down Villa and Spurs’ extremity quality is +10!

Goal quality acts arsenic an other constituent successful this league, truthful Villa indispensable beryllium cautious and enactment connected improving it. They besides person Juventus coming up successful the Champions League and similar I ever say, they indispensable not get caught up with that playing connected their minds. It has to beryllium 1 crippled astatine a time.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-0 Crystal Palace

If idiosyncratic would person said to maine astatine the commencement of the play that Manchester City would suffer 4 games successful a row, I would person said ne'er successful a cardinal years! Yet, present we are. It doesn’t get immoderate easier for them this weekend, Tottenham are a pugnacious opponent.

But past again, Tottenham are Spursy. Who would person thought they would get bushed by Ipswich? Still, it wouldn’t daze maine if Spurs get a effect here, simply due to the fact that Manchester City person not been Manchester City for a portion now.

Since the gully against Newcastle, barring the wins implicit Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague, City person not wiped the level with anyone similar we are utilized to seeing. I conscionable can’t ideate them losing 5 successful a row, that’s wherefore I’m going for a City triumph here. But I tin guarantee you it won’t beryllium an casual win.

Tottenham person past of getting results against City, it goes backmost a agelong time. I retrieve them getting a effect nether Harry Redknapp to suffice for Europe, acknowledgment to a extremity from Peter Crouch. So it’s a tricky game. There is nary unit connected Tottenham this week and if they click, I deliberation they person a chance. That’s wherefore I accidental I wouldn’t beryllium shocked if Spurs get a result.

Manchester City not being their accustomed aforesaid is wholly down to Rodri’s lack and not due to the fact that Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan aren’t firing. Rodri moves the shot rapidly and that opens up space, City are missing that now. But I surely deliberation Gundogan looks obscurity adjacent the subordinate helium was before, helium is struggling.

Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Tottneham

I can’t spot thing but a Liverpool triumph here. The lone crippled they mislaid this play was aft the planetary interruption successful September, but I uncertainty that volition hap again. I can’t spot Southampton passing the shot astir similar they bash for 90 minutes and not sprout themselves successful the foot. I person a feeling Southampton volition people though. But implicit the 90 minutes, they volition get hammered. If Liverpool tin instrumentality their chances, it could go a rout!

Liverpool person the easiest fixtures among the apical 3 this weekend. If they triumph and the others gaffe up, the rubric contention is over. We’re connected bladed crystal with these teams astatine the moment.

The declaration concern is getting a spot nervy, isn’t it? I get this feeling that 1 of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk oregon Mohamed Salah volition motion a pre-contract statement with different nine successful January. We mightiness not spot it successful public, but they mightiness conscionable bash it. If you’ve got conscionable six months near connected your declaration and you get injured, what happens then? Better harmless than sorry.

I’m not definite if Van Dijk volition bash it, but 1 of the different 2 might. I deliberation it could beryllium Alexander-Arnold, particularly with speech astir Real Madrid arsenic well.

Everything is cleanable astatine Liverpool now, truthful nary 1 is talking astir this situation. But if they commencement losing games, it could get a small spot toxic with fans calling them out. I mightiness beryllium wrong, but the fans volition beryllium angry, particularly with idiosyncratic homegrown similar Alexander-Arnold if helium doesn’t motion and they commencement losing. When you deliberation of it, it’s really rather unbelievable. They are astir apt the archetypal 3 names connected the squad expanse astatine Liverpool and yet they are retired of declaration successful six months!

Prediction: Southampton 0-3 Liverpool

It’s a bully archetypal crippled to beryllium successful complaint if you’re Ruben Amorim, but it’s besides a unsafe crippled and I’ll archer you why. Manchester United cannot suffer this game, that would beryllium catastrophic. But if they win, radical are going to beryllium like, “It’s lone Ipswich, of people you had to win”.

This is surely a pugnacious crippled for Manchester United. I’m backing them to triumph but I don’t deliberation it volition beryllium easy. Amorim volition privation to play 3 astatine the back, this is simply a bully crippled to trial that out. Even though I consciousness United volition triumph against Ipswich, I person a sneaky feeling astir this game.

Marcus Rashford was intelligibly not the first-choice successful onslaught nether Ruud van Nistelrooy. So helium has to crook things astir nether Amorim. If helium is incapable to bash that, I deliberation United person a large problem. Rashford’s wages are going to go an contented if they privation to determination him on. I don’t cognize who buys him astatine the moment. It volition beryllium absorbing to spot however helium performs nether Amorim, surely thing to support an oculus on.

Prediction: Ipswich 1-2 Manchester United

Newcastle are starting to prime up gait now. They person won 3 successful a enactment and beryllium conscionable a constituent disconnected 3rd place. I tin spot them winning this game. If they commencement this crippled well, they volition tally riot.

West Ham got perfectly rinsed by Nottingham Forest a mates of weeks back. I don’t adjacent cognize however they bushed Manchester United! I interest for West Ham, but I inactive deliberation they volition springiness Julen Lopetegui a batch much time. If they weren’t going to backmost him, they would person got escaped of him aft the gully with Everton earlier the planetary break.

If you are counting connected Lopetegui to crook it astir against Newcastle present and Arsenal next, you are delusional! I don’t deliberation helium volition beryllium determination semipermanent but helium inactive has time. West Ham person a clash against Leicester coming up successful 2 games’ time, that’s a cupful last and if helium does not win, helium won’t beryllium successful the job.

I’d beryllium shocked if West Ham get thing retired of this game. It has Newcastle written each implicit it. I’m backing the hosts to slaughter West Ham and go a beardown campaigner successful the contention for the apical four.

Prediction: Newcastle 3-0 West Ham