Staying power

Can Blackpool stay up? Can Man City's fans stay awake? Paul Merson previews Super Sunday...

Merse previews the Super Sunday games

Sky Sports brings you a Super Sunday double header with implications at both ends of the table. Things kick off at Craven Cottage from 1pm as Blackpool travel to Fulham hoping to boost their survival chances, while their opponents are bidding to avoid getting dragged into the dogfight. And then from 3.30pm we're off to the City of Manchester Stadium to see if Sunderland can do damage to Manchester City's hopes of finishing inside the top four. Sky Sports expert Paul Merson gives us his thoughts ahead of the games...

Fulham v Blackpool
1pm, Sun, Sky Sports HD1

Everybody wants to see Blackpool stay up - apart from fans of the three teams that end up going down. The thing about them is they are a bit too naïve. I watched their last game against Blackburn and they were 2-0 up at half-time. If they'd kept it tight for 10 minutes after the break they would have won that game comfortably, but they conceded a quick goal and ended up drawing the match. At one point in the second half, they had a corner at 2-1 up. Before you knew it Blackburn had a break with three against two and Blackpool left themselves too wide open. It's very entertaining, but it might not help them stay up. All season long they seem to have decided they're not good enough to keep clean sheets, so they've played with freedom and tried to score lots of goals. Ian Holloway has told his players to go forward and I hope it works for him. Scoring goals is the only thing that can keep them up. I don't expect Blackburn to even look like scoring at Arsenal on Saturday, but Blackpool look like getting goals everywhere they go. They even had great chances when they lost 6-0 at the Emirates. That's the reason I think they will stay up and that's the reason I think this game will be very entertaining. I personally believe that if Matthew Gilks was fit they'd be safe already. Richard Kingson was outstanding at Wembley the other night, but he has thrown away points in games for his club. He's done his best but he's not in the same class as Gilks. He doesn't look commanding and he's not great on crosses, which is an issue in the Premier League. This game will hinge on Saturday's results to some extent. If results go against Blackpool then the pressure is on, but if the teams below them lose then this is like a free punch. They can go out and play with freedom. It's a bit like the golfer who putts second. If the first guy holes his then it becomes a very small hole to aim for, but if he misses then it's a massive target. Fulham can't afford to lose this game either. I don't see them going down but they'd have questions to answer if they lost this. They'll have highlighted this game as a must-win match, but a draw would be great for Blackpool. To go to Blackburn and Fulham without losing either game keeps them right in the hunt. Sadly I think they might come unstuck. PAUL'S PREDICTION
HOME WIN - I hate predicting against Blackpool because they can make you look silly. I can't see them keeping a clean sheet, but you can't be sure about much else. I'm going to say this will be a very entertaining football match, but Fulham are a good team when their players are fit and I expect them to win 2-1. MERSON'S MAGIC MAN
DANNY MURPHY - The midfield battle between him and Charlie Adam could be a crucial area in this game. If Murphy can boss it then I think Fulham will go on to win the match.

Manchester City v Sunderland
3.30pm, Sun, Sky Sports HD1 & Sky 3D

Manchester City didn't even look like scoring a goal against Chelsea in their last game, just as I expected. I've seen them too many times this season and when they go away from home they're more bothered about trying not to lose than trying to win. They just don't have a go. People say I pick on them in this column, but that's not the case. I want to see Man City be successful, but when you've spent all that money on all that talent you should be attacking every team you play. That's what Man United and Arsenal do, so why should they be any different? They seem to start games at a slow pace, they stroll to fetch the ball when it goes out of play and there's no urgency to them. If they played at a high tempo I don't see how teams could live with them. People say they only play defensively against the big sides, but it was like that at home to Reading in the FA Cup. They were mundane and lacksadaisical and they make it easy for the away team to defend. You can always get back in position because City break so slowly. Carlos Tevez and David Silva are the only ones who play with any tempo and you saw what happened when Tevez was missing against Chelsea. This is an important game for City because it's far from certain they will finish in the top four. They should see it through, but they need to go out and make sure. If they finish in the top four, I don't see that as a great season. If they win the FA Cup as well then that's a fabulous effort, but simply finishing fourth would be a bit underwhelming after all the money they've spent. Sunderland went and got a draw at the Emirates the other week and they're one of those teams who can give anyone a game. They're a top-half side and even though they've had a dip in form they've had plenty of good results this season. They're well organised and Asamoah Gyan will always provide a threat. He's looking like a fantastic signing for them because he's so unpredictable - and he'll fancy himself against Joleon Lescott after what happened in the England v Ghana game. Sunderland have only got one point from six games, but you don't become a bad team overnight. There's no way they'll get dragged into the relegation picture. No chance at all. But I sense City might just nick this game on Sunday. PAUL'S PREDICTION
HOME WIN - I think Man City will win it 1-0. I really hope they go out and play some good football, but I don't see it happening. They play with an Italian tempo and that doesn't work in the Premier League. If they step it up they can rip apart any team in the league. MERSON'S MAGIC MAN
CARLOS TEVEZ - If he doesn't play well, it's very rare that Man City win. As I said before, he's one of the few players who comes alive when he gets the ball and plays with urgency. He makes the difference for them.