Sunday 15 January 2017 08:26, UK
Paul Merson is back to predict the next round of Premier League games, including Man Utd v Liverpool and Everton v Man City.
Merseyside v Manchester catches the eye on Sunday with Everton taking on Manchester City and Manchester United and Liverpool renewing their rivalry. Both games are live on Sky Sports.
Read on to see what Soccer Saturday pundit Merson is tipping...
I don’t know what’s going on at Everton. They lost at home in the FA Cup to Leicester when they have nothing else really to play for this season. I find that very strange.
I watched Man City at West Ham and if they play half as good as that I can’t see anything other than an away win. Draws are no good for City so I expect them to win.
They had a good result with 10 men against Burnley then ripped West Ham apart, so if they can get it right and Pep Guardiola stops swapping and changing the team every week then they can go on a run and they will be alright.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-3 (12/1 with Sky Bet)
Playing last means the rest of the top six might have won so it’s a game neither side can afford to lose. I am going with Man Utd. I watched Liverpool in the EFL Cup and they were poor at the back, and if Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fit then I don’t see how they can cope with United.
Defensively they were all over the place at Southampton and James Milner could have a long day against Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial.
United have won six on the spin in the league but they started this run sixth in the league and they are still sixth. I think they are big players if they win this match, but if they lose then you are looking at whether they will get in the top four. That’s how tight it is at the top at the moment.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (15/2 with Sky Bet)
Spurs are flying at the moment and playing well, but this was the game that pretty much lost them the league last year when they drew 1-1.
It will be a hard game but I expect Spurs to win. Dele Alli is in great form and I was very impressed with the way they beat Chelsea. Spurs had to win and they played well.
West Brom could easily have got draws at Arsenal and Chelsea so it will be difficult for Spurs, but I think they will win.
I was impressed with Southampton in the EFL Cup against Liverpool, but Burnley at home are a different team.
Their home record is phenomenal – and it needs to be for them to stay up. I expect them to win this one.
This is the game for Hull. If they lose this one I think they are relegated. They will be so far behind by this time next month I think it will be nearly impossible to get out of it.
The fixtures they have coming up in the league are bordering on atrocious; they play Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and then Arsenal.
I am going to back Bournemouth to win even though they had a shocker at Millwall in the FA Cup. Hull have to go for it and that plays into Bournemouth’s hands as I think they will be able to pick them off. I can’t emphasise how big a match this is for Hull though.
It’s a must-win match for Sunderland and they need to play it like a cup final. A draw is no value for them, they need all three points.
How will Stoke respond? They had a shocker in the FA Cup as they played a strong team and still lost at home.
Sunderland have to keep Jermain Defoe this month. Unless someone comes in with £60m - which they are not going to - then you can’t sell him. If you do then you might as well give everybody their season tickets back because you are basically saying ‘we are relegated’.
He has to stay, if he doesn’t then they are writing it off.
Swansea had a great result at Palace and a draw would be decent for them, but I'm backing Arsenal to win.
I like Paul Clement, I have met him and he’s a very good coach. I thought they brought him in thinking they are going to get relegated, but knowing he will be able to coach them up next season.
He has worked at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and you have to be good to have coached those players. I hope he does well.
This will be a massive occasion after Graham Taylor’s death. He is an absolute legend at Watford and I am sure the players will put on a show and try to win this game for him.
I’m not sure I would have gone with this result beforehand but I think it will be a special occasion for the players and the fans.
Palace haven’t really clicked under Sam Allardyce yet and with no Wilfried Zaha I don’t see how they are going to hurt West Ham. I think the hosts will win, even without Dimitri Payet.
Let’s be honest, if it wasn’t for West Ham then we probably wouldn’t even know who Payet is - they put him on the map and then he treats them like this.
I’d say get rid of him, get £30m and drop him off. You don’t want people like that around who just use the club.
This is a huge match. Leicester are missing some players at the Africa Cup of Nations and this is a big one for Chelsea after losing to Tottenham.
They play Hull next week before two difficult games against Liverpool and Arsenal. If they don’t win this game then you start wondering whether the wheels might fall off.
I expect Chelsea to have just a little bit too much and I don’t see how Wes Morgan and Robert Huth will be able to cope with Diego Costa. I think it will be difficult but Chelsea to win.
