Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Paul Merson predicts Man Utd vs Everton, Liverpool vs Man City and Brighton vs Arsenal

Paul Merson has backed Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea to all pick up three points this weekend but believes Tottenham's downward spiral will continue.

The Gunners registered a third straight win at the weekend in the north London derby and will head to high flying Brighton.

The Seagulls nabbed a late point at Crystal Palace on Monday night.

United meanwhile will be hoping to keep up with the pace when they take on Everton, who also sit on 13 points after six games.

A late win in the Champions League will give them plenty of confidence heading into the clash at Old Trafford.

Liverpool meanwhile host title rivals Manchester City at Anfield, looking to avenge last season's 4-1 defeat.

They have the added bonus of fans this time round and have an excellent record against Pep Guardiola's men on Merseyside.

Tottenham have been left licking their wounds this week and host an Aston Villa side buoyed by a win at Old Trafford last weekend.

These are Merson's predictions, as per Sportskeeda, in the weekend's major clashes.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping Cristiano Ronaldo can fire Man Utd to another three points (Peter Powell/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Man Utd vs Everton

"How lucky do Manchester United want to get? Villarreal gave them a proper footballing lesson in the UEFA Champions League last night, but they hung on for their lives, scored late on and won the game!

"Sooner or later, the way they play has to change and I believe this could be the game where they finally click.

"It can’t be so bad all the time, so I expect Manchester United to win this Premier League encounter 2-1.

"They were unfortunate not to score the penalty against Aston Villa and were well beaten against Villarreal despite getting a result, so it’s kind of hard to predict their results.

"Everton have done a great job so far this season, but they have their fair share of injury concerns.

"With a full-strength starting XI, they could have caused Manchester United problems, but I don’t think that will be the case at Old Trafford this week."

Prediction: Man Utd 2-1 Everton

Chelsea vs Southampton

" Southampton were beaten 1-0 by Wolves in their previous Premier League encounter, but they got a point against Manchester City after a 0-0 draw earlier this month.

"The way they play, they are quite unpredictable and will cause Chelsea a lot of problems, but I fancy Chelsea to win this one.

"They are playing at home and will look to return to winning ways after two disappointing results in all competitions, I think they’ll win this 2-0.

"In the UEFA Champions League against Juventus, they played some good football but were dealt with a sucker punch with Federico Chiesa’s goal.

"Mason Mount is a massive player, they really miss him. Hopefully he’s fit and comes straight back into the team in the weeks ahead."

Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Southampton

Brighton vs Arsenal

" Arsenal have turned a corner. They produced a fantastic performance against Spurs in the north London derby last weekend in the Premier League and have won three games on the bounce without conceding a goal.

"That said, Arsenal’s Achilles heel over the past few years has been consistency, so I wouldn’t be shocked in the slightest if they fail to record a victory against Brighton.

"If Arsenal keep their main XI fit, they stand a realistic chance of causing a lot of problems. Without European football, they only play one game a week and that could work to their advantage.

"Just when I thought that they could string together a run of victories with their first-choice XI, Granit Xhaka has been ruled out for nearly three months with an injury!

"In the grand scheme of things, Arsenal should win this and I predict they will prevail 2-1.

"I said earlier that I wouldn’t be surprised if they failed to record a positive result, but Brighton were really fortunate against Crystal Palace and will likely get beat if Arsenal continue to play like they have been in the past few weeks."

Prediction: Brighton 0-2 Arsenal

Tottenham vs Aston Villa

"Aston Villa were really good against Manchester United. They deserved to get a positive result and they did as Bruno Fernandes missed a stoppage-time penalty to restore parity at Old Trafford.

"Ultimately, the game will boil down to the version of Tottenham Hotspur that turns up.

"Will it be the side that got absolutely rolled over by Chelsea and Arsenal, or will it be the team that gave Chelsea a game in the first 45 minutes and also beat Manchester City on the opening day of the Premier League season?

"If Spurs hit the front in the opening exchanges, they are a hard team to play against.

"I like Villa and after careful consideration, I fancy them to win this one 2-1. The way Spurs are playing now and their attitude scares me.

"If they don’t change, I can’t see them getting anything from this game. A loss would put serious pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo, especially with the international break coming up after the Premier League weekend.

"This is a massive game for Spurs and the Portuguese manager, it has to be said."

Prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa

Who are your Premier League title favourites at this early stage? Comment your thoughts below .

Liverpool vs Man City

"What a game, eh? The standout fixture of the Premier League weekend. I just think Manchester City are struggling without a centre forward and that could come back to haunt them.

"They scored a deflected goal against Chelsea, but they lost to PSG and didn’t really threaten Gianluigi Donnarumma between the sticks despite dominating possession.

"Donnarumma didn’t make a save I wouldn’t have expected him to make – it was evident that if Manchester City had a lethal centre forward on the pitch, it could have been a different story.

"Goalscoring isn’t a problem for them if they are playing Norwich City and the likes, but in crunch games, they need to put their chances away.

"Liverpool, on the other hand, are scoring goals aplenty, so this is a really interesting game. I think both sides will score goals, so I’m predicting a 2-2 draw.

"The talent going forward outweighs the talent at the back, while it can also be said that if both teams get their best XIs out, there’s not a lot between them."

Prediction: Liverpool 2-2 Man City

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.