Cesc education

If Cesc Fabregas is on top form then Arsenal will see off Man United on Sunday, says Paul Merson.

Merse previews a Super Sunday double-header

Sky Sports is gearing up for one of the most exciting weekends of the season so far with two crucial games on Super Sunday. From 1pm you can see how Manchester City respond to their Carling Cup semi-final disappointment as they welcome rock-bottom Portsmouth to Eastlands. Then from 3.30pm we're off to the Emirates where Arsenal host Manchester United in one of the most important matches in this season's title race. Sky Sports expert Paul Merson gives his views ahead of both games...

Man City v Portsmouth
1.00pm, Sun, Sky Sports 1 & HD1

Manchester City may be out of the Carling Cup, but their main priority has to be fourth place. It's a tough call, but with the amount of money they've spent, perhaps the top four is more valuable than a trophy. They need to be playing Champions League football so they can sign the sort of players they want. They're still a long way behind the top three and Roberto Mancini has hardly pulled up trees so far. The sacking of Mark Hughes was timed perfectly to give Mancini a fairly easy start. They won the games you'd expect them to win, but when they came up against Man United and Everton they fell short. This is a good game for them and despite Portsmouth's pace on the break I can't see anything other than a home win. It'd be worrying if they don't win this and it could get messy if they score early. I'm interested to see how Emmanuel Adebayor performs after the terrible events in Angola. Maybe that will make him appreciate football a lot more. At Arsenal he was great in patches, but at times it seemed like it was too much effort for him. He got stick off the fans because he didn't work hard, but maybe he will be a different player now. He'll want to get back to playing football. That's what he's good at. As for Portsmouth, I'm struggling to see anything positive for them at the moment. Yes, the transfer embargo has been lifted, but who will go there? A lot of players won't take the risk of going to a club where they might not get paid on time and I don't think they'll be able to bring in the players to get them out of trouble. They're bottom of the table and I think this will be another game with no points. They need to put a few wins together to get out of the bottom three - and I can't see them doing that. PAUL'S PREDICTION
Home win - I'll go for 3-1 to Manchester City. They'll have to work hard because they'll be under pressure at home after the defeats against United and Everton but I fully expect them to win.

MERSON'S MAGIC MAN
Carlos Tevez - He's on fire at the moment. I didn't have him down as a goalscorer, he's more of a team player, but all his goals this season have been a bonus. I think he's been brilliant this season.

Arsenal v Man Utd
3.30pm, Sun, Sky Sports 1 & HD1

Let's assume Chelsea will beat Burnley on Saturday to open up a five-point gap on Arsenal... then this becomes a bigger game than it already is. A draw will not really help either Arsenal or Man United if they want to catch Chelsea, although I think Sir Alex Ferguson would be happier with a point than Arsene Wenger. This is a key period for Arsenal because they play Chelsea and Liverpool after United. I think five points - a win and two draws - would be a good return from those matches. They can't really afford to lose any of them. If Arsenal lose on Sunday, they'd have to go and win at Stamford Bridge next week, so a result on Sunday would take some of the pressure off. Thomas Vermaelen's injury couldn't have come at a worse time. Sol Campbell has hardly played for eight months and now you're asking him to play three games in a week? It's rare that Arsene Wenger lets his young, fit players play three times in seven days so it's a big ask for Campbell. Personally I would play Alex Song there instead. I don't think Campbell can cope with Wayne Rooney. Then again, I don't think anyone can because he's playing out of his skin. Campbell's lost some of his pace and Rooney is quicker than you'd think. Plus he won't give you a moment's rest in 90 minutes. But for me the key battle is in midfield. This is all about Cesc Fabregas against Darren Fletcher. If Fletcher can upset the Arsenal captain then it's advantage Man United, but I reckon Fabregas is the best midfield player in the division alongside Frank Lampard. Arsenal could run riot on Sunday if Fabregas gets on top. In the last few seasons, Cristiano Ronaldo has been the key difference between these two teams. Without him I expect Arsenal to win this game. PAUL'S PREDICTION
Home win - I'll go for a 3-1 win to Arsenal. Even though United are still in three competitions, I don't think they're playing well at the moment. You can't keep playing poorly and winning every game. Eventually they'll come up against a top team and come unstuck... I think that could be Sunday. MERSON'S MAGIC MAN
Cesc Fabregas - In my opinion, Arsenal are almost a one-man team at the moment. Just look at the home game against Aston Villa. They never looked like scoring and he came on for 20 minutes and they won 3-0. They've won games without him, but Arsenal are a lot better when Fabregas plays.