Eurosport’s resident football expert Paul Parker has made his predictions for this weekend’s Premier League action – and he sees Arsenal beating Liverpool.
Parker also believes an in-form Brighton side will stop Manchester United from securing all three points.
Leicester v Man City – Saturday 17:30
Leicester have done well. It’s a big game for Brendan Rodgers. But I think the international break will have helped Manchester City in a lot of ways. People talk about rest but sometimes you can benefit from experiencing a different environment too.
So I’m backing City to win this game. Leicester will look for space in behind and Kelechi Iheanacho will want to prove a point against his former club, but I think the visitors will win this game by at least two goals.
Prediction: Leicester 1-3 Man City
Arsenal v Liverpool – Saturday 20:00
Arsenal are inconsistent, or at least some individuals in their starting XI are inconsistent. It really depends on what team Mikel Arteta picks as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang does not seem to care.
However I still think Arsenal will win, although I would be more confident in my prediction if Aubameyang stepped up and played like a captain.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
Newcastle v Tottenham – Sunday 14:05
One team is seriously negative and the other is just negative. Spurs will not go for the jugular – even against Newcastle – which is their main problem. But if Newcastle come out and score, and Spurs decide to retaliate then the visitors could score four or five.
Son Heung-min may not be available which makes a big difference. He’s a bigger miss than Harry Kane for me. People talk about Kane and goals but Son is the one who creates most of them thanks to his unselfish work. He’s a big loss to Spurs in a difficult time.
Newcastle cannot afford to lose this game. If they don’t win this then they will be in a rut and it will be difficult for them mentally to get out of it. Any result is a bonus, especially against a side deemed a top-six club.
Prediction: Newcastle 0-0 Tottenham
Man Utd v Brighton – Sunday 19:30
This is the kind of game Manchester United could lose. Brighton could pick them off because they are so smart with their passing in the final third, plus they have effective players in dead ball situations – they’ve got a lot of good, brave footballers. So I can see Brighton causing United a massive problem this weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will know that and therefore he may approach the game more negatively. Still, I see this as a very open game and one that will quite possibly end in a draw. Brighton can and will score goals, but will always give them away. If they can win, they know they will almost certainly be safe from Premier League relegation.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-2 Brighton
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