Paul Merson's predictions for Manchester United vs Tottenham and other Premier League GW29 fixtures
The Premier League is back with another set of matches this weekend and we’re set to witness a few crucial six-pointers over the next few days. With only nine gameweeks left until the end of the season, things have become do-or-die in the Premier League.
Manchester City remain the frontrunners to win the league title but are now being given a run for their money by Jurgen Klopp’s ever-resurgent Liverpool. Chelsea are in a state of limbo both on and off the field and are only a few points away from securing their third-place finish.
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The top-four race has been typically intense this year, with Arsenal now emerging as favorites after an excellent run of form. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are also still in with a chance but will need to pull up their socks in the coming weeks.
There is an element of unpredictability in the relegation zone at the moment, and the month of March could give us a few concrete answers. Here are my predictions for this weekend’s Premier League matches:
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool
Four weeks ago, this would’ve been a banana skin game for Liverpool. But Brighton aren’t playing particularly well right now. They did well at times against Newcastle, but as always, they lacked the cutting edge.
Luis Diaz has done well for Liverpool, but I’d still go with Diogo Jota ahead of him in the starting eleven. If tomorrow’s match was a Champions League semi-final or a big game, I’d be shocked if Jota didn’t play.
I see nothing but a Liverpool win this weekend. This game is an excellent opportunity for them to keep the pressure on in the title race. They’re playing before Manchester City this weekend, and that’s a big advantage. This should be an easy Liverpool victory.
Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-3 Liverpool
Brentford vs Burnley
This is the big Premier League game this weekend. If Brentford win, that’s it. They’re safe. They’ll be nine points clear of Burnley with a victory here, and that’s a massive number of points with only nine games to go. This is a hard game to predict, but I’m backing Brentford to win.
Christian Eriksen has been unbelievable – I’m absolutely stunned. A lot of Premier League teams will be wondering why they didn’t take a chance with him. He’s a phenomenal footballer. He was brought in to keep them up and if they beat Burnley, his work is done.
Prediction: Brentford 2-1 Burnley
Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
I don’t know when Tottenham will turn up and when they won’t. It’s hard to predict. Both Manchester United and Tottenham are very similar. If either team won this game, you wouldn’t be shocked one bit. That’s been their Premier League season so far.
Both these teams are like a pack of revels – you don’t know what you’re going to get. This is a pundit’s nightmare. Whichever way I call it, this could come back to bite me.
Dejan Kulusevski has been outstanding for Tottenham. Antonio Conte knew him from the Serie A, and it was a no-brainer of a signing. He’s hit the ground running in a much harder league than the Serie A.
I’m still living in the past, so I expect Manchester United to turn up in big Premier League games. They’ll have Cristiano Ronaldo back and they do have the home advantage. Both teams are chasing the top four, and I’ll back Manchester United to get ahead in the Premier League top-four race this weekend.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea vs Newcastle United
I’m going to be at this game, and I think Chelsea should be able to win. Newcastle beat Southampton this week, and I think that’s it for them – they should be safe in the Premier League now. Chelsea beat Norwich and that’s it for them too – they should make it to the top four.
Chelsea are in a bit of a situation at the moment. Rudiger’s gone anyway – you don’t refuse to sign a contract and lose eighty grand a week for nothing. When players don’t sign contracts, you can take it for granted that they’ll leave more often than not.
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Where can you take Chelsea from here? They’re the champions of Europe and they’ve won everything. Whoever buys Chelsea at this point will probably just lose money. They’ll have to start selling players – if they can get their money back for Timo Werner, they’ll probably sell him too.
Newcastle have been absolutely outstanding to do what they’ve done in the Premier League so far, but I’m going to go with a comfortable Chelsea win. To be fair, I’d probably predict the same result if this fixture was taking place a year from now.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Newcastle United