Paul Merson cast his eye over the weekend’s Premier League action including Burnley vs Arsenal and Liverpool vs Crystal Palace as well as West Ham vs Manchester United and Tottenham’s clash with Chelsea
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Mikel Arteta previews Burnley clash
Paul Merson has tipped former club Arsenal to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League as they face Burnley on Saturday.
But the Highbury legend expects local rivals Tottenham Hotspur to fall narrowly short in their London derby against European champions Chelsea the following day.
Merson also tipped a hard-fought encounter in Sunday’s other fixture, which pits West Ham United against Manchester United at the London Stadium.
Liverpool’s home clash with Crystal Palace could be settled by a more convincing margin, despite the Eagles registering an impressive 3-0 win over Spurs last weekend.
The Reds come into the match full of confidence after victories over Leeds United and AC Milan, and Merson cannot see Palace keeping them at bay.
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Sky Sports)
Backing Liverpool to win 3-0 at Anfield, he told Sportskeeda : “Against Leeds United, Liverpool could have won 7-0, but they were wasteful in attack. It just seems to me like when the game is over, their attackers just go and do their own thing.
“Sometimes, it’s like watching grassroots football – when one team is winning 10-0, everyone wants to score!
“Palace had a good result against Tottenham Hotspur, as they recorded their first win of the Premier League season. That said, I expect Liverpool to win this one rather comfortably.”
Turning his attention to another Saturday 3pm kick-off, Merson predicted Arsenal will edge out Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor.
“Burnley aren’t a bad team, so this could be a good Premier League contest,” said the former England international. “As for Arsenal, they fell over the line against Norwich City, but three points is exactly what they needed to kick-start their season.
“They’ve done well against Burnley over the years, so I fancy them to make it successive wins in the Premier League.”
Do you agree with Paul Merson? Give your scoreline predictions right here.
Moving onto Sunday’s fixtures, Merson anticipates Manchester United will bounce back from their Champions League defeat by Young Boys to win 1-0 at West Ham.
The 53-year-old believes the absence of suspended Michail Antonio could be crucial, saying: “They (Manchester United) got a wake-up call at the right time and now they know that they will get beaten in the Premier League if they perform as poorly as they did in midweek.
“That said, Manchester United have looked quite solid at the back domestically and with Antonio out, they should win this one.”
The weekend’s top-flight action ends with Spurs vs Chelsea, and Merson fancies in-form Romelu Lukaku to feature prominently in a 2-1 win for the Blues.
“I watched Chelsea play against Zenit in the UEFA Champions League and Romelu Lukaku didn’t have too many chances,” said Merson.
“However, he popped up to score the matchwinner with a brilliant goal and that is exactly what he brings to the team – I fancy him to score every time he plays! The fans will be up for this one and I predict Chelsea to be too strong for Spurs on the day.”
