Saturday 30 September 2017 19:20, UK
Who will come out on top in the Premier League this weekend? Paul Merson is back with his predictions...
Merse got one perfect score last weekend - Arsenal to beat West Brom 2-0 - and six correct results as Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United picked up away victories.
Who is the Magic Man tipping to win this weekend? Read on to find out...
Everton will have to be very patient against Burnley. I watched Burnley the other day and I was left wondering how they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and drew with Spurs and Liverpool, because they never really looked like scoring against Huddersfield.
I thought they were poor but then again they did a job. Last season Burnley were excellent at home but this season it seems to have reversed and it's their away form that has been impressive. That being said, if Everton can remain patient I think they will break Burnley down eventually to pick up another home win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
Liverpool could have won 10-1 in the Champions league after the chances they created the other night. With the attacking talent at their disposal they will always create chances and at St James' Park I don't see it being any different. Newcastle, backed by their home crowd will also go for it which could play into Jurgen Klopp's hands. I did initially write down 3-0 to Liverpool but I'm going to have to change my mind to 3-1 because I don't trust Liverpool at the back. However Liverpool are class going forward and I'd be shocked if Newcastle coped with them.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-3 (12/1 with Sky Bet)
Arsenal's trip to Belarus in the Europa League should not get in the way of three points against Brighton. However Arsene Wenger can't take underestimate Chris Hughton's side. That's where some managers are coming unstuck at the moment, taking teams lightly. We saw that when Tottenham played Swansea at Wembley with Heung-min Son playing left wing-back and Liverpool making six changes against Burnley. You have to play your best team and if they do the Gunners should win easily.
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
Merson's earlier predictions...
Huddersfield have been tight at the back so far, keeping four clean sheets from their six league games so far, but sooner or later they are going to have to come out and score goals. I watched them against Burnley last week and I thought they were very comfortable but at some point they are going to have to do a bit more because I don't think another 30 0-0 draws will get you out of trouble.
Huddersfield are coming up against a different kettle of fish this weekend but they do work hard and that will shock Spurs, but in the end the visitor's quality will tell. Harry Kane is absolutely flying at the moment and Huddersfield won't have come up against anyone like that yet. I don't see how they will be able to contain him.
PAUL PREDICTED: 0-3
Bournemouth were excellent for spells at Everton but in the end came up short. Jermain Defoe had a brilliant chance to make it 2-0 and that would have game over, but Everton managed to turn it around.
However, they are back at the Vitality Stadium this weekend against a Leicester side, who have not hit their straps yet. I watched them against Huddersfield a few weeks back and in the end I thought they were fortunate to get a point. They are struggling. I can see Bournemouth just edging a home win.
PAUL PREDICTED: 2-1
West Brom were extremely unlucky against Arsenal on Monday. First up, I thought they should have had a stonewall penalty and then they created some brilliant chances. If they get the penalty and convert it then the game becomes entirely different with the pressure shifting onto Arsenal.
I thought they did okay and they can build on that performance. Meanwhile Watford have made an excellent start to the season and they've been outstanding away from home. I just have to side with West Brom though. I can see them making things extremely tight and nicking a win through a set piece.
PAUL PREDICTED: 1-0
West Ham have been a bit better in recent weeks. They had the win over Huddersfield before getting a solid point away at West Brom. Then came last weekend's 3-2 defeat to Spurs and if I'm being honest, I thought the scoreline flattered the Hammers.
I thought Slaven Bilic made a bit of an error in that game because he started with Javier Hernandez up front and then when Michael Antonio got injured he brought Andy Carroll on. By starting Hernandez, it tells me Bilic thought he was going to cause Tottenham more problems with pace and movement in attack so why didn't he bring on Andre Ayew to replace Antonio? With Carroll on the field I thought West Ham went from back to front too quickly. They would have worked on a game plan all week and it all went out the window when it could have stayed the same.
However, I can see them getting back to winning ways here against a Swansea side struggling for form and confidence.
PAUL PREDICTED: 2-0
It was a disappointing result for Stoke last week but they just came up against a very good Chelsea side. I watched Chelsea in the Champions League in midweek against Atletico Madrid and they will not be far off winning that competition in my opinion. I think Stoke, who will have Kurt Zouma back, will win this game 1-0. I know they got battered last week but Southampton aren't in the same league as Chelsea and I never like going against Stoke at home.
PAUL PREDICTED: 1-0
Crystal Palace had some good chances against Man City but they just could not find the back of the net. I'm concerned for Palace in this one. There's an international break just around the corner and I think United will be ruthless. I can't see anything but a United win here and it's going to comfortable for Jose Mourinho and his side.
It's difficult to see where Palace go from here if they suffer another big defeat at Old Trafford. After the international break it doesn't get any easier as they play Chelsea. And if the teams around them pick up a few points it just gets worse and worse for Roy Hodgson.
PAUL PREDICTED: 4-0
I cannot separate these two sides so I'm going for a 1-1 draw. It should be a great game. Chelsea's win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday was one of the best performances I've seen away from home in Europe for a long time.
This is another big game for Chelsea though. We expect United to win at home to Palace and that would mean Chelsea would be six points behind them before kick-off at Stamford Bridge. I know it's still early in the season but that is still a lot of points. Because of that I think both sides being happy with a draw.
PAUL PREDICTED: 1-1
