{"id":1641,"date":"2026-02-27T03:15:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T03:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=1641"},"modified":"2026-02-27T03:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T03:15:09","slug":"paul-mersons-premier-league-predictions-including-arsenal-v-chelsea-and-man-utd-v-crystal-palace-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=1641","title":{"rendered":"Paul Merson’s Premier League predictions, including Arsenal v Chelsea and Man Utd v Crystal Palace | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t<\/div>Paul Merson has delivered his predictions for all ten Premier League matches (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The midweek\u00a0Champions League\u00a0action is done and dusted and attentions turn to what promises to be a thrilling weekend of drama in the\u00a0Premier League.<\/p>\n
After a pair of potentially damaging draws, top-of-the-table Arsenal managed to get their title charge back of track with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over bitter rivals Tottenham last time out.<\/p>\n
Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres combined to torment Spurs in what what was an emphatic response to those doubting the Gunners\u2019 credentials, with Manchester City snapping at their heels.<\/p>\n
But Mikel Arteta\u2019s men know they can ill afford to rest on their laurels ahead of their clash with Chelsea, who will be hurting and have a point to prove after dropping points at home to lowly Burnley previously.<\/p>\n
Second-placed Manchester City \u2013 who sit five points adrift of Arsenal \u2013 will look to keep the pressure on when they travel to a Leeds side languishing down in 15th.<\/p>\n
Nico O\u2019Reilly was the difference in City\u2019s previous contest with Newcastle, scoring twice in a 2-1 win, and Pep Guardiola will be hoping for more of the same from his 20-year-old wonderkid at Elland Road.<\/p>\n
At the other end of the table, relegation-threatened West Ham make the trip to Merseyside in pursuit of an almighty upset against the reigning champions Liverpool.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tYour football fix\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Metro<\/strong>‘s Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy analysis, transfer talk and his take on the week’s biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t<\/div>Chelsea will look to throw Arsenal off their title charge this weekend (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Nuno Espirito Santo\u2019s side are undefeated in their last four matches in all competitions and an unlikely victory at Anfield could see them leapfrog Nottingham Forest into 17th place.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Michael Carrick will be out to strengthen his case for the full-time job at Manchester United, with the Red Devils targeting a sixth win from seven versus Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n
Previewing all ten of this weekend\u2019s fixtures for\u00a0Sportskeeda, former England, Arsenal and Aston Villa star Paul Merson delivered his predictions and pinpointed where each game could be won and lost.<\/p>\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Rock-bottom Wolves entertain local rivals Aston Villa at Molineux (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tWolves vs Aston Villa\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018Aston Villa\u00a0have got to win this game. The race to qualify for the Champions League is getting very tight. Manchester United are just three points behind Villa, while Chelsea are six points adrift.<\/p>\n
\u2018I don\u2019t see Chelsea beating Arsenal this weekend. So if Villa can beat Wolves here, they open up a nine point advantage over Chelsea. With 10 games to go after this, I don\u2019t think Chelsea can catch Villa if that happens, especially considering the Blues\u2019 tough run of fixtures.<\/p>\n
\u2018Wolves have looked decent at times. But they need to start winning games instead of looking good in patches. If we take their result against Arsenal out of our heads, you can\u2019t see them beating Villa in this one. I believe Villa will seal Champions League qualification with a win here.\u2019<\/p>\n
Prediction:<\/strong>\u00a0Wolves 0-2 Aston Villa<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Iraola\u2019s Bournemouth are riding a six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tBournemouth vs Sunderland\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018Sunderland are on a slippery run at the moment. They did all the good work early on in the season so they\u2019re not in trouble. That loss against Fulham last weekend would have hurt them.<\/p>\n
\u2018Bournemouth, meanwhile, are turning a corner now. They are starting to look good again and at home, I\u2019ll have to back them to get the win.<\/p>\n
\u2018Sunderland\u00a0haven\u2019t been poor in recent games. It\u2019s just that all their opponents were in fine form, which is also the case with Bournemouth now.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>The champions have bounced back from defeat to City to win their last two league matches (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tLiverpool vs West Ham\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018West Ham\u00a0are fighting for their lives and got a big result with the draw against Bournemouth last weekend. The fact that Nottingham Forest were extremely unlucky against\u00a0Liverpool\u00a0helped West Ham. Now, they are just one result away from getting out of the relegation zone.<\/p>\n
\u2018As we speak West Ham are joined by Forest and Tottenham in the battle to avoid relegation. The team that stays up will be the one that produces a big result in the coming weeks. I expect one of them to get a win where we all go, \u2018how did they do that?\u2019 Will it be West Ham? Not this week, no.<\/p>\n
\u2018Liverpool were atrocious against Forest last weekend. But I expect them to win here. There is a lot of talk about whether Rio Ngumoha should be starting games for Liverpool. It\u2019s hard at the moment because of the position Liverpool find themselves in.<\/p>\n
\u2018Ngumoha is a great talent and he has a bright future. But Liverpool\u2019s Champions League qualification is on the line and they cannot afford to miss out on it. That\u2019s why I think Arne Slot will stick to experience over youth.<\/p>\n
\u2018There is also absolutely no way Ibrahima Konate is signing a new deal at Liverpool! I think they will keep Van Dijk and bring someone in during the summer. Jeremy Jacquet has joined them but he doesn\u2019t have the experience. It will be hard for Liverpool to find the perfect replacement for Konate in the current market.<\/p>\n
\u2018West Ham\u2019s momentum has changed, one defeat in eight games is not a bad run. Their big game is against Fulham in midweek. If they fail to win that game, they could get relegated because after that fixture, it\u2019s Manchester City at home and Aston Villa away. By the time they face Wolves after these games, it may all be over.\u2019<\/p>\n
Prediction:<\/strong>\u00a0Liverpool 3-1 West Ham<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Newcastle forward Wissa has been a shadow of his former self, says Merson (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tNewcastle vs Everton\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018Both Newcastle and\u00a0Everton\u00a0are stuck in mid-table positions. At this rate, I don\u2019t expect either of them to qualify for European football next season.<\/p>\n
\u2018I thought\u00a0Newcastle\u00a0were unlucky against Manchester City last weekend. They did cause City some problems in that game. Eddie Howe and his team need to start putting together a run from here. It\u2019s been a bit of a stop-start season for Newcastle.<\/p>\n
\u2018Nick Woltemade is being made to play out of position because he hasn\u2019t got that pace. Newcastle are a counter-attacking team with Anthony Elanga, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy in it. When you put Woltemade as the centre-forward among those players, you slow the team down.<\/p>\n
\u2018Yoane Wissa has also been nowhere near his old self, with injuries not helping his case since the move to Newcastle. I\u2019m still going to give them a chance here because they are playing at home.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Burnley frustrated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last time out (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tBurnley vs Brentford\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018I can\u2019t see anything but a\u00a0Brentford\u00a0win here. I must admit they looked a bit jaded in that disappointing loss to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend. Burnley did great to get a draw against Chelsea, but I think they will get ripped to shreds in this game!<\/p>\n
\u2018Brentford have been very impressive. If they had won against Brighton last time out, they could have gone above Chelsea with a win this weekend. It always happens to teams like Brentford when they get close to European qualification. They need to get used to the pressure of being around these places.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m backing a comfortable win for Keith Andrews\u2019 team.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>O\u2019Reilly inspired City to victory over Newcastle previously (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tLeeds vs Manchester City\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018This is the defining weekend.\u00a0Leeds\u00a0have been doing well. They got a good result against Aston Villa, of course, unlucky to concede that goal in the end. But a point away from home at Villa Park isn\u2019t bad at all.<\/p>\n
\u2018Leeds have troubled many of the big boys this season. I expect them to cause City problems. I\u2019m going for a draw in this very difficult game for\u00a0Manchester City.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s a bit of madness in me to go for a draw here, but it\u2019s more out of hope really. There\u2019s still something missing with City. Even against Newcastle, they went ahead and instead of running away with the game, they actually kept their opponents in the game.<\/p>\n
\u2018Nico O\u2019Reilly scored two great goals against Newcastle. But I wouldn\u2019t say he\u2019s a shoo-in to make the midfield for the England squad at the World Cup. He\u2019s a versatile player so maybe he\u2019s got a chance at left-back.\u2019<\/p>\n
Prediction:<\/strong>\u00a0Leeds 1-1 Manchester City<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Pereira is looking to pick up his first points as Forest boss (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tBrighton vs Nottingham Forest\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018Nottingham Forest\u00a0were outstanding against Liverpool, but they just couldn\u2019t get the result in the end. This is a hard game to call. I\u2019m not going to get carried away by that performance from Forest last weekend and I\u2019ll tell you why.<\/p>\n
\u2018If your team played that well and they couldn\u2019t win, that is a major concern in my opinion. Liverpool were atrocious in the first half, never seen them play like that. Forest should have made it count!<\/p>\n
\u2018West Ham face Liverpool and Leeds host Manchester City this weekend. So coming into this game, Forest would have considered this as a good chance to pull themselves clear of the drop zone. I spoke about how one of the teams in the relegation battle will pull out a result that will surprise us in the coming weeks. Forest can be that team.<\/p>\n
\u2018However, I just think Brighton will take confidence from the win at Brentford to make it two wins on the bounce here.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Spurs are hovering just four points above the relegation zone (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tFulham vs Tottenham\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018I\u2019ve played a lot of derbies against\u00a0Tottenham\u00a0and seen many of these matches after I left Arsenal. In terms of the gulf between the two teams, I\u2019ve not seen anything like the past two games!<\/p>\n
\u2018That\u2019s what worries me about Spurs. I don\u2019t expect them to be relegated, but they are 100 per cent involved in the race with Forest and West Ham. I\u2019d be shocked if they went down. They have the best stadium in the Premier League. Imagine that venue hosting Championship matches.<\/p>\n
\u2018If Tottenham had Chelsea\u2019s fixtures until the end of the season, they would be relegated! And if Chelsea had Spurs\u2019 fixtures, they would qualify for Champions League. So at least Tottenham have the kind of fixtures where they can play their way out of this mess.<\/p>\n
\u2018I don\u2019t see anything but a Fulham win here. I just don\u2019t see how Tottenham turn it around in this game. London derby, massive pressure on Spurs. I think Fulham playing without any pressure will help them win.\u2019<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Sesko came on and rescued United against Everton on Monday night (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tManchester United vs Crystal Palace\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson:<\/strong> \u2018I can\u2019t see anything but a\u00a0Manchester United\u00a0win here. They are on such a roll in terms of results. I say that because they weren\u2019t playing well but still won against Everton.<\/p>\n
\u2018We all know that this is not the Crystal Palace from six months ago. If they were still that team, I would have said Manchester United have a tough game.<\/p>\n
\u2018In fact, we could say the same about United as well. They look completely different from six months ago. It\u2019s like chalk and cheese for both teams.<\/p>\n
\u2018The big advantage for Manchester United is that they only play once a week and can rest well. I expect them to secure a comfortable win.\u2019<\/p>\n
Prediction:<\/strong>\u00a0Manchester United 3-0 Crystal Palace<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>Eze will be brimming with confidence after his double against Spurs (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tArsenal vs Chelsea\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Merson<\/strong>: \u2018Massive game. We saw in the Carabao Cup how Chelsea parked the bus. I think Chelsea can\u2019t afford to do that again. They have to go for it in this one. If Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United win like I predicted, Chelsea are under serious pressure.<\/p>\n
\u2018Chelsea\u00a0let in a goal every week without fail! It was a really bad result against Burnley last weekend. I expect Chelsea to be a threat but I can\u2019t see them keeping a clean sheet in this game. Apart from one or two winnable games, all of the upcoming fixtures till the end of the season will be a huge challenge for Chelsea.<\/p>\n
\u2018Arsenal\u00a0should go with Eberechi Eze in this game. He scored twice in the derby, so I can\u2019t see it being any other way. Barring the Manchester United game, Arsenal are still unbeaten at home. But this is still a tough game for them because they have to come out and win this. They didn\u2019t have to do that in the second leg of the cup game at the Emirates!<\/p>\n
\u2018If Leeds beat City, Arsenal have a free hit here. Otherwise, they must not lose. I believe they will just edge Chelsea and secure three points.\u2019<\/p>\n
![\"Manchester](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2152069156_42457d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\")
\t<\/div>![\"Chelsea](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2256309618.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
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\t<\/div>![\"West](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2262285229.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Liverpool](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2263691182.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Newcastle](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2263445573.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Chelsea](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2263203015.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Manchester](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2263209200.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Nottingham](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2263025876.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Tottenham](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2262553439_e8d141.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Everton](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2262796548.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"Tottenham](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2263175506.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
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