Paul Merson predicts Arsenal vs Liverpool and other Premier League GW9 fixtures
We have a big weekend to look forward to in the Premier League, especially after how things panned out last time. I told you last week how Arsenal facing Bournemouth is a potential 'banana skin' for the Gunners and it turned out that way. Now the Gunners are under pressure and face a really difficult test against Liverpool.
Speaking of pressure, both Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers took the lead in their respective games against Leicester City and Manchester City, before eventually losing last weekend. Both teams have yet to secure a win after eight games and are in serious trouble. But they're not alone in the wait for a first win as both Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town make up the list of four sides yet to beat anyone.
All of the teams are back in action in the Premier League this weekend, starting with Leicester playing Nottingham Forest on Friday. Without further ado, let's dive straight into my predictions for gameweek 9 in the Premier League:
Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest
Bit of a local derby this one! Leicester City got a phenomenal result last time out against Southampton. I said they'll win it but I didn't expect them to do it from being 2-0 down. Make no mistake, this is an equally important game for Leicester. They have to back it up with at least another draw now. If they go and get beat by Nottingham Forest, that throws the good work they did against Southampton out the window.
I like Steve Cooper despite the criticism he received early on. Leicester are definitely a team who have got results in them. They will finish above Ipswich Town and Southampton, but they need to find one more team they can get ahead of and that's the tough part. Even though Wolves are where they are in the table now, they are not as bad as it shows. Same with Everton, they will always find a way to avoid the drop.
This is the major concern for Leicester - can they find another team that they can finish above in the table? I do think this is a really tough game for Leicester. Forest are a better team away from home [unbeaten in four games against the likes of Liverpool (W), Chelsea (D)] and an excellent counter-attacking unit. I'm going for a draw in this one.
Prediction: Leicester City 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Manchester City vs Southampton
I mean, what will the result be in this one? You guess! Southampton will try to play all their fancy stuff and in the end they will get shredded to pieces. That's the only outcome, they will get destroyed by Manchester City. I'm going to go for a 4-0 win to City and I'm being kind to Southampton here. Honestly, if Pep Guardiola's team get going, this could become any scoreline.
Erling Haaland silenced his doubters with an incredible first goal in the Champions League against Sparta Prague. I was watching the game with my son in bed and I woke him up so he could see it! It's not luck, that's just unbelievable ability from Haaland. Even the other goal was quite brilliant, it was like Playstation football.
I know Phil Foden hasn't had the best of starts to the season, but he still makes it to City's best XI even now. When push comes to shove in the big games, players like him and Haaland will always deliver. Some people say Foden never performs for England, but what they forget is that he's only played one way all his life - the Guardiola way! England are nowhere near that style of play and that's probably why he suffers with the national team.
Losing against Leicester after going 2-0 would've hurt Southampton so bad. No way they're getting anything from this game at the Etihad. We could be looking at goal difference to determine final standings at both ends of the table. Both City and Southampton need to keep that in mind.
Prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Southampton
Brentford vs Ipswich Town
I strongly believe Ipswich Town are starting to struggle now. They were well beaten by Everton, who looked extremely comfortable during that win last weekend. This just shows the gulf in class between the Championship and the Premier League. At the start of the season, Ipswich may have looked at Everton as one of the teams they outrun in the race to avoid relegation. But last week has probably changed that.
I'm going to back Brentford in this fixture because I think they're a very decent team. I always fancy them and they always score goals. If you're a club in this division and you're able to beat Brentford, then you'd have had to play really well.
You look at teams like Ipswich and Southampton and wonder when they'll get their first win. It seems as if the wait will go on for both teams. That's a big concern and I'm backing Brentford to get three points here.
Prediction: Brentford 2-0 Ipswich Town
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves hung in there till the end against Manchester City last weekend, but were incredibly unlucky as they lost 2-1 in the end. This game against Brighton is a nightmare for Wolves, if I'm being honest. Last time against City was a free hit in the sense that they could still sit back and try to get a result - but that's not the case here! Now they will be forced to go out and chase the win from the first minute at Brighton.
This approach could play into the hosts' hands and they could take full advantage to punish Wolves. Danny Welbeck is in great form for Brighton, he's always been a good player. He played for Manchester United and Arsenal, that's never going to happen if you don't know how to play. Welbeck's got better as he got older.
People often tell me I played my best when I was at Aston Villa after I turned 30 even though I didn't win anything. That's the same thing happening with Welbeck. I believe he's a strong influence on and off the pitch, he'll be a huge help to the younger players there as well.
I'm going for a Brighton win. Wolves face Crystal Palace and Southampton after this game and they need to take all six points from them because I don't see them getting any here.
Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 Wolves
Aston Villa vs Bournemouth
This is a hard game for Aston Villa. After the win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, they looked flat against Manchester United that weekend. Villa managed to get a good 2-0 win over Bologna in midweek and now they face Bournemouth. They're at risk of the same thing happening here.
Villa have been phenomenal in the Champions League and are currently top of the table! But this is where it starts getting tough, it's a true test of whether they can balance both campaigns together. Bournemouth secured that impressive win over Arsenal last time out and can never be underestimated. That's why I believe it's a really tough game for the hosts.
If Villa end up winning this, what a brilliant result for them. But I don't think it's as easy as some people make it out to be.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Bournemouth
Everton vs Fulham
Everton were spectacular against Ipswich Town, they never looked like they were in the slightest of troubles. But this is a bigger test, no doubt. Fulham have impressed me so far this season, however, they have now lost two games on the trot. You lose three games on the bounce in this league and things around you can change quickly.
If I'm being honest, it's a really tight game to call. But I just think Fulham will get the three points. They missed a lot of chances in the defeat against Manchester City and there wasn't a lot between them and Villa either. Fulham play nice football and I expect them to get a win.
I also wanted to give a special mention to Raul Jimenez. Before he had that head injury, he was one of the best strikers in the league. Now he's finally finding some form. It's nice to see him get these goals for Fulham, such a top player in a very good and underrated team.
Prediction: Everton 1-2 Fulham
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
I have a feeling Crystal Palace will find it difficult against Tottenham this weekend. But I'm fully aware that it also depends on which Tottenham turn up for the game. I don't mean it horribly, but sometimes they get a bit 'Spursy'. That's the problem with them at the moment.
I watched Spurs' first half against Brighton and I thought, 'Wow, they could actually give teams a real go in the race for the top four.' We all know what happened after that. On their day, Tottenham are a really good team. They should show that more often on a consistent basis.
Palace are a tough team to face away from home. Oliver Glasner has to go with Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Philippe Mateta together at the top and try to get the win in this game. Mateta is a bigger unit and can cause problems to most teams, he's a real handful and I'd even play him ahead of Nketiah if I'm being honest.
This is a difficult game for Spurs and I think they'll share the spoils in a good, entertaining contest.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea vs Newcastle United
I just hope Chelsea don't become flat track bullies. They failed to win against City and Liverpool. Well, you could say they did play well at Anfield last weekend but they ended up losing even then! Cole Palmer never touched the ball in that game. This is the problem Chelsea are going to have now, teams will stop Palmer and they have to find solutions.
Chelsea will be fine against teams like Newcastle, who blow hot and cold all the time. Enzo Maresca's men need a win quickly because they've dropped outside the top four now. If Aston Villa win this weekend and Chelsea don't get three points against Newcastle, that widens the gap further.
I liked it when Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo played together against Liverpool because it kept Chelsea defensively solid. But then they couldn't get the ball out to Palmer. Enzo Fernandez is definitely a better passer of the ball and can do that more often compared to the other two. And in all honesty, if Palmer doesn't touch the ball, Chelsea aren't winning many football matches!
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Newcastle United
West Ham United vs Manchester United
This is a big game for West Ham. Irrespective of where they are or how they're performing, Manchester United are still a big club and when they come visiting, it will be a special occasion. I actually think these teams can cause each other a lot of problems.
I don't mean to disrespect Manchester United, but this is a great game for West Ham to turn their season around. We all agree they haven't clicked as well as they would've liked, but if that happens on Sunday, this could be massive test for Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag will always be under pressure as manager at Manchester United. If he goes out and loses this game, they are getting beaten by a team sitting 15th in the league table and that's nowhere near good enough for a club like United. If he wins, well it's normal because you're expected to win these games. It feels as if no matter what he does, it's tough for him to get on the good books right away.
I don't think he's going anywhere though. He's in it for the long haul at Manchester United, that's the plan they've put in place at Old Trafford. I'm expecting a draw here.
Prediction: West Ham 2-2 Manchester United
Arsenal vs Liverpool
We said Liverpool hadn't played anyone big until last week and they responded by winning against Chelsea! That was their first major test and this is the next one. They couldn't have asked for a better time than now to play Arsenal. If Arsenal lose this game, they are out of the title race!
People can go like, 'Oh, there are 29 games left' and all that. But if they lose, it's a six-point gap with Manchester City. How can you expect City to lose ground on that advantage and expect Arsenal to win all their remaining games at the same time? With Liverpool also in the title race, you're chasing two teams now and neither of them look like losing at the moment.
Arsenal suffered back-to-back games against Fulham and West Ham in gameweeks 19 and 20 respectively last season and they ended up losing the title. That really cost them and Mikel Arteta will know his team must avoid another loss here. They also have so many key players injured. Bukayo Saka may not be ready, Martin Odegaard is definitely out and William Saliba is suspended. Let's not forget Riccardo Calafiori also picked up an injury.
If you're Liverpool, you could accept a draw but deep down inside, they'll still be disappointed if they fail to win this game. If it was still Jurgen Klopp as manager, I could see Liverpool running riot here and Arsenal getting shredded to pieces with so many of their key players unavailable. Klopp always wanted to leave teams with a bloody nose in games like these, whereas Arne Slot is more controlled.
I like Caoimhin Kelleher, he's a good goalkeeper. He looks composed and never lets Liverpool down. He's always ready to play even when chances are so limited due to Alisson being one of the top goalkeepers in the world. I also think Luis Diaz will join Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez as part of the front-three instead of Cody Gakpo.
There's obviously this question around who plays for Arsenal if Saka isn't fit and I think it should be Raheem Sterling against Andy Robertson. But I don't think that will necessarily happen because Leandro Trossard has a knack of scoring against Liverpool and could fit perfectly into the Gunners' counter-attacking threat.
Arsenal will be without three of their four best players, with Declan Rice being the only exception. Liverpool will know these kind of opportunities to face a weakened Arsenal team will not come around very often. But I doubt they'll get a win. A draw in the end would be a great result for Arsenal.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool