Merson's PL predictions including Man Utd vs Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea

Paul Merson has delivered his predictions for an enthralling weekend of Premier League action, including Sunday’s showdown between Manchester United and Liverpool.

Old Trafford plays host to a meeting between the two bitter rivals, with much at stake for both managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jurgen Klopp.

Solskjaer’s United come into the game off the back of a remarkable comeback victory against Atalanta in the Champions League, in which they fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in midweek.

Domestically, however, they have lost two and drawn one of their last three league games, leaving them in sixth place in the table – five points behind league leaders Chelsea.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are flying high in the Premier League and remain the only unbeaten team in England’s top flight so far this season.

Klopp’s side also played out a thrilling encounter in Europe in midweek, as they beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Despite United’s poor form in the league, Merson rubbished claims that the Red Devils will be heavily beaten on Sunday, instead predicting a 1-1 draw.

The Arsenal hero told Sportskeeda: ‘This is the biggest game of the Premier League weekend and I’ve seen a lot of people say Liverpool are going to absolutely slaughter Manchester United. I don’t buy into that narrative and I’ll tell you exactly why. As Jamie Carragher said earlier, almost every player in the Manchester United starting XI cost nearly £50 million and they are undoubtedly the biggest club in world football, in my opinion.

‘They are playing at home against their arch-rivals with a team like this and no one gives them a chance? That is an absolute joke. It wouldn’t happen anywhere else in the world, so you’ve got to ask yourself some serious questions. I know Manchester United and they just seem to do it when it needs to be done – we’ve seen it many times under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

‘It’ll be a tough game for both sides and if there’s one thing Manchester United don’t want, it’s to lose to Liverpool at home. If they play like they did against Atalanta in the second half, I give them every chance of getting a positive result.

‘This is a tough game for both sides and usually, Premier League encounters between these two teams fizzle out and pretty much nothing happens. I hope that isn’t the case this time around. The atmosphere at Old Trafford will be electric and the fans will be right behind the players, but I’m predicting a 1-1 draw.’

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Having drawn 2-2 with Crystal Palace on Monday night, Arsenal face a quick turnaround for their meeting with Aston Villa at the Emirates on Friday evening.

The Gunners needed a last-gasp equaliser from substitute Alexandre Lacazette to rescue a point against Palace, but Merson thinks his former side will edge a 2-1 win over Villa.

‘Arsenal have done alright in the Premier League so far,’ Merson added. ‘People said it was a bad result the other day against Crystal Palace, but I think this is the kind of game they lost a couple of years ago. In recent weeks, they’ve kept sticking at it and need to win this one badly, as otherwise, it’ll quickly become three games without a win in the Premier League.

‘Aston Villa, on the other hand, had a nightmare result against Wolves. They were 2-0 up with 10 minutes left on the clock but somehow squandered their advantage, as they made a series of wrong substitutions. It’ll be a tough game, but I expect Arsenal to just edge this one.’

League leaders Chelsea face bottom of the table Norwich, but will have to do so without injured strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, who were both forced off in the 4-0 win over Malmo on Wednesday.

But Merson believes Thomas Tuchel’s side still have more than enough quality to overcome their opponents at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

He said: ‘What score do you want? This game is a foregone conclusion, in my opinion. Chelsea will be without Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, but they’ll still have miles too much for the Premier League’s bottom dwellers Norwich City, so I think the home side will win 3-0.

‘Thomas Tuchel might opt to play Kai Havertz upfront – I can’t think of anyone else who could play in that position. Suddenly, you look at Chelsea and think they are a little bit short in attack, but this is a good game for Havertz to make his opportunity count. He isn’t an out-and-out centre-forward, but this is an easy game for Chelsea so it won’t matter.’

Paul Merson’s Premier League predictions

Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa

Chelsea 3-0 Norwich

Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle

Leeds 2-1 Wolves

Everton 2-0 Watford

Southampton 1-0 Burnley

Brighton 1-3 Man City

West Ham 2-1 Tottenham

Brentford 2-2 Leicester

Man Utd 1-1 Liverpool

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