Paul Merson predicts every Premier League game including blunt Chelsea warning for Man Utd
Manchester United host Chelsea on Sunday in their first Premier League game since the sacking of Erik ten Hag, with interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy again set to led the Red Devils
by Jacob Leeks · The MirrorPaul Merson has warned Manchester United they are in for another difficult weekend when Chelsea visit on Sunday.
The Blues travel to United in one of the standout games of the weekend. Enzo Maresca has recovered from a tough start to turn Chelsea into an impressive outfit, though they did lose to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
United meanwhile are reeling after the sacking of Erik ten Hag, with interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy set to again take charge. While he led the Red Devils to a 5-2 win over Leicester in the Carabao Cup, Merson does not believe he will be able to repeat the trick.
Instead, he is tipping Chelsea to claim a 3-1 win, in part due to the 'laziness' of United's forwards. While Merson has seen an improvement under Van Nistelrooy, he insists they are still far from their best.
"I think Chelsea will win this game. I only say that because they'll play out from the back and the only way they can get beat is if teams get the ball from them high up the pitch by closing them down," Merson told Sports Keeda.
"I don't think United will do that up front, they're just lazy. So I have a feeling that Chelsea can play through them and win the game. If Ten Hag was still there, Chelsea would be huge favourites in this game.
"But with Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge now, there will be a change for sure. They still look at bit disjointed though, not what you expect from a proper team. The problem is that United don't have enough time to work on these things and beat Chelsea this weekend."
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The first game of the weekend comes at St James' Park, where Newcastle host Arsenal. And Merson believes his former side will be able to claim all three points from their trip to Tyneside with a 2-1 win.
Merson also thinks it will be a good weekend for Arsenal's two title rivals. First he has tipped Liverpool to claim a convincing 3-1 victory over Brighton, before predicting leaders Manchester City will beat Bournemouth 2-0.
It is a huge weekend at the other end of the table, with bottom six Ipswich, Leicester, Southampton, Everton, Wolves and Crystal Palace all playing each other. Merson believes it will be a rare moment of joy for the two newly-promoted teams out of that group.
Paul Merson's predictions
Newcastle United 1-2 Arsenal
Liverpool 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Ipswich Town 2-1 Leicester City
Bournemouth 0-2 Manchester City
Southampton 2-1 Everton
Nottingham Forest 2-1 West Ham United
Wolves 1-0 Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Aston Villa
Manchester United 1-3 Chelsea
Fulham 2-1 Brentford
He has tipped Ipswich and Southampton to claim 2-1 wins against Leicester and Everton respectively. He also thinks Wolves will continue their recovery by narrowly beating Palace 1-0.
In the final three games this weekend, Merson has predicted a 2-1 win for Nottingham Forest over West Ham. The Arsenal legend believes Spurs will beat Aston Villa by the same scoreline. And finally, Merson has tipped Fulham to also beat Brentford 2-1.
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