Paul Merson's predictions for Manchester City vs Chelsea, Tottenham vs Arsenal and other Premier League GW22 fixtures
Gameweek 22 of the 2021-22 Premier League campaign sees two high-profile games take center stage, with Manchester City and Chelsea set to lock horns in an important game in the title race, while Arsenal prepare to cross the London divide to take on arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United face Aston Villa for the second time in the space of a few days after beating them in the FA Cup, while Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool prepare to host a wounded Brentford side at Anfield. There's also a potential relegation six-pointer to look forward to at St. James' Park, with Newcastle United set to host Watford in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
Will Gameweek 22 produce its fair share of drama with important games set to be played at both ends of the table? Only time will tell.
Brighton vs Crystal Palace
This is an interesting game and I've liked watching both of them in the Premier League this season. I've said plenty of times that Crystal Palace should be a lot further up the table - they've been desperately unlucky at times. They have some fantastic attacking players and Conor Gallagher is obviously having a brilliant season, so they will look to threaten in the final third.
I see a few goals being scored in this one so I'm going with an entertaining 2-2 draw.
Prediction: Brighton 2-2 Crystal Palace
Manchester City vs Chelsea
If Chelsea don't win, they are out of the Premier League title race. Saying that in mid-January is not a good thing for them, but it's the reality of the situation. This is a massive game, but if you look at the table, Manchester City could probably lose this one and still go on to win the title.
Pep Guardiola's side blew Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge even though the scoreline was only 1-0. That just goes to show how good Manchester City have been this season and I think they will get another victory this weekend. I fancy these two teams to meet each other in the UEFA Champions League once again, so it'll be a big psychological battle.
1. Manchester City - 53 points
2. Chelsea - 43 points
3. Liverpool - 42 points
4. West Ham - 37 points 🆕
David Moyes' Hammers are flying.
#WHUFC https://t.co/uRKchYRNgc
Chelsea had a game on Wednesday night as well and that will play its part. In terms of their attacking options, it'll be interesting to see who Thomas Tuchel decides to go with. Kai Havertz was outstanding in the first leg and played arguably his best football in a Chelsea shirt, but there's also Timo Werner, whose pace could be a huge asset. That said, if Werner plays, he'll have to come up against the pace of Kyle Walker, so they could well end up cancelling each other out!
Havertz, on the other hand, has got the brain and the intelligence to open up teams and make clever runs into the box, so this will be a big call for Tuchel.
Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
Norwich City vs Everton
This is Norwich City's cup final. If they don't win this game, it's curtains for them in the Premier League this season. Both teams are all over the place at the moment, but there's more at stake for Norwich than Everton.
I watched Everton against Hull City and they weren't good at all, so I think this could emerge as a winnable game for the home side.
Prediction: Norwich City 2-1 Everton
Wolves vs Southampton
Southampton got a great result against Brentford the other day, as was the case with Wolves against Manchester United. Wolves don't score enough goals and that's the only issue for me, but if they manage to solve this issue, they'd be absolutely phenomenal.
The last time we played @SouthamptonFC.
🇲🇽😍 https://t.co/Of43JtCuSN
Despite their lack of goals this season, I think they've played some brilliant football this season and should have enough to beat Southampton at home. Armando Broja is a player who has caught my eye - this kid looks really good. He's big, strong and knows where the goal is, so I'm sure Chelsea will be keeping a keen eye on his development.
Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Southampton