Saturday 3 February 2018 14:41, UK
Paul Merson is back with another round of his Premier League predictions - how will he fare this week?
Merse is back and ready to offer his take on a bumper line-up of top-flight action this week after predicting two perfect scores and a correct result from the midweek fixtures.
The Soccer Saturday pundit predicted 3-0 wins for Manchester City and Liverpool, while correctly predicting Tottenham's win over Manchester United at Wembley.
But who is the Magic Man tipping to win this weekend? Read on to find out...
Turf Moor is always a tough place to go but it's really tough to back against Man City at the moment. There'll be plenty of challenges for City in this early kick-off. They might not have things all their own way in this one but they have more than enough quality to overcome any challenges that may crop up.
PAUL PREDICTS: 0-3 (13/2 with Sky Bet)
It's been a bit of a shocker for Newcastle recently on and off the field. They got hardly anything in the window. Islam Slimani came in but he's injured and can't play, while on the field they were winning against Burnley before Joselu missed a penalty and Karl Darlow's own goal handed the visitors a point. I just don't see anything but a Palace win here.
Palace had a bit of a disappointing Deadline Day but that shouldn't affect them too much. They have been in decent form recently but they do have to be a bit careful. They are still in the relegation battle, as the Arsenal result proved, so they still need to pick up wins consistently.
PAUL PREDICTS 2-0 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
What a game this one could be. It's certainly one to look forward to! Both teams have a go - they don't know any other way. It's difficult to go against Liverpool at home but when you watch Spurs, and they play like they did against United, they were absolutely outstanding. The way they passed the ball and moved it around the pitch was exceptional. I'm going to go for goals and a 2-2 draw. It's a difficult game to predict in that you wouldn't be shocked to see Liverpool win 3-0 but you also wouldn't be shocked to see Spurs win at Anfield.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-2 (10/1 with Sky Bet)
After the result on Wednesday, it's all about the top four for Chelsea. They've got to get into the top four and while Watford got a good point at Stoke, Chelsea need to respond with a win at Vicarage Road.
I can't see how Watford stop Eden Hazard. I also think Olivier Giroud will play and they'll be a better team than the one we saw against Bournemouth. Watford stopped the rot at Stoke but let's be honest, they are in trouble. They are on a poor run and Chelsea should take advantage.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-3 (11/1 with Sky Bet)
Bournemouth's result at Stamford Bridge was unbelievable. They were in the bottom three facing two matches against Arsenal and Chelsea and they've ended up winning both games. They were two big results but now, they've got three games coming up against the teams in and around them. They are the sort of games they have to win. Their confidence will be sky high after beating Chelsea and against a Stoke team that struggled against Watford, I've got to go with them for the win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
Brighton started brilliantly against Southampton and while they ended up with a draw, it was probably a good point in the end. I also watched them against Chelsea and they were so unlucky to lose 4-0. Looking at West Ham, they've got a few injury problems at the moment and it could be a bit of a struggle for them at the Amex.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (17/2 with Sky Bet)
Carlos Carvalhal has done brilliantly since his arrival at Swansea. The wins against Liverpool and Arsenal were fantastic but they both came at the Liberty Stadium. I think they'll come unstuck away at Leicester. The problem for Leicester is they'll miss Riyad Mahrez. How much the Mahrez situation affects them will come down to the players. There are stories doing the rounds suggesting the players have got the hump with him, but I'm not so sure about that. He's not going to play and I don't think he'll want to play. He's going to be a big miss but it won't be too much of a problem in this one.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
Manchester United were comprehensively beaten by Tottenham but this is a very nice game for them to have straight after the defeat at Wembley. Huddersfield are struggling badly at the moment and, at Old Trafford, I don't see anything else other than a home win. If you could handpick someone to play after the defeat they suffered at Wembley, Huddersfield would be it. It's perfect.
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (9/2 with Sky Bet)
West Brom will be looking at it and thinking how many teams have still got to play Man City? There was nothing expected of them on Wednesday and they've now got their two games against City out of the way. I think they've done well since Alan Pardew came in and Daniel Sturridge is a brilliant signing for them. It was a big boost that he picked them over Newcastle and it speaks volumes for the manager that he can bring in a big player like that. For me, he will be the difference for them in terms of staying up, starting on Saturday.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (10/1 with Sky Bet)
In attack, it's been a really positive window for Arsenal, however, they still need defenders. The Bournemouth and the Swansea results will keep cropping up until the end of the season with the defence they have. However, I expect them to beat Everton at the Emirates. It's Theo Walcott's return and he got two goals in midweek but I can't see anything other than a home win. Their home form has been in stark contrast to their away form and you'd expect Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to play. If they do I'm expecting a comfortable win for Arsene Wenger and his side.
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (7/1 with Sky Bet)
