Paul Merson's predictions for Chelsea vs Liverpool, Arsenal vs Manchester City and other Premier League GW21 fixtures
Games are coming thick and fast in the Premier League and there's been a lot of drama in recent weeks, with big guns like Chelsea and Liverpool dropping points to hand the initiative to Manchester City in the title race. The situation with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic hasn't eased off, leading to a handful of games being rescheduled to the new year.
All in all, 2021 has been another memorable year and the magic of the Premier League has been on display for everyone to witness. That said, game week 21 could well turn out to be a pivotal one in the title race, with Arsenal hosting Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and Chelsea locking horns with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening.
The Premier League table has already begun to take shape, how will it look after the next set of games? Your guess is as good as mine at this point in time!
Arsenal vs Manchester City
Arsenal are playing well at the moment but Manchester City are on another planet, so anything other than a win for the away side will come as a huge surprise to me. Arsenal always beat the so-called lesser teams and struggle badly against the big boys - this Premier League encounter looks like it could head in the same direction.
Stuart Attwell will referee Arsenal against Manchester City on New Year’s Day.
#ARSMCI https://t.co/WHaFkfwomT
I expect the Manchester City juggernaut to roll on.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City
Leicester City vs Norwich City
What a result it was for Leicester City against Liverpool. They played really well against Manchester City in the second half and staged a stunning comeback but topped it off with a famous result against Jurgen Klopp and co at the King Power Stadium.
Norwich City, on the other hand, look spent. In my opinion, they're gone and I see no way back for them. They were unlucky to lose against Manchester United but since then, they've been absolutely blown away by Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Leicester will have miles too much for them, so I think this is going to be a comfortable victory for the home side.
Prediction: Leicester City 4-0 Norwich City
Watford vs Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will be disappointed after dropping points against Southampton - they played against ten men for a long time but failed to make it count. Watford are a funny team and always have a result in them - I think they could give Spurs a game at Vicarage Road.
🗓 Next up: Watford (A) https://t.co/YcWbl4qewH
They got absolutely slaughtered by West Ham but we've seen what they can do at the other end of the pitch. Spurs' high tempo could catch up with them sooner rather than later, so I think this one will end all square.
Prediction: Watford 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Crystal Palace vs West Ham United
Both teams are coming on the back of fantastic results in the Premier League, so this could be a great game at Selhurst Park. People might give me a lot of stick for this, but I don't think there is a lot between these two sides in terms of quality.
Their league positions might suggest otherwise, but a closer look at Palace's results this season will tell you that they've been incredibly unlucky. A lot of things went against them, so I believe they should be higher up the Premier League table.
I can't separate these two sides at the moment so I'm going for a 1-1 draw.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-1 West Ham United