Paul Merson’s Premier League predictions, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool

‘Welcome back to the Premier League, Claudio Ranieri! Watford have changed managers hoping to get a bit of a boost, but I think this game will be too much for them.

‘Liverpool are scoring goals for fun, so I just don’t see how Watford can outscore them, while they most definitely aren’t good enough defensively to keep them out.

‘I’m going for a 3-1 Liverpool win. The away side have been a bit vulnerable at the back in recent weeks and this is not something you’d usually associate with them, but I don’t see anything other than a Liverpool win in this one.’

Watford 1-3 Liverpool

‘These are two struggling teams, but I think it will be a good game of Premier League football.

‘Leeds United got a really good result against Watford before the international break, but Southampton are in desperate need of points and would’ve highlighted this game earlier in the season to get some points.

‘I like watching both these teams and looking at how they’ve played in recent weeks, I’m predicting an exciting 2-2 draw.’

Southampton 2-2 Leeds United

‘Brighton played some really good football against Arsenal. It’s not like they created too many chances and were unlucky not to win or something, but they showed their class against one of the Premier League’s big sides and have been in good form this season.

‘I can’t see Norwich City winning a football match and I’m finding it hard to get them a win regardless of the circumstances.

‘They are struggling really badly, so I see nothing but a comfortable Brighton win away from home.’

Norwich City 0-2 Brighton

‘Oooh, good game again! Aston Villa, in my opinion, are waiting to explode.

‘I always keep saying that when you play the likes of Brighton and Aston Villa in the Premier League and come away with three points, they are really good wins.

‘Wolves miss way too many chances for my liking, although Raul Jimenez seems to be back in form. The goal he scored against Southampton was absolutely mind-blowing, but this is a big derby game and I’m going to go for a Villa win.’

Aston Villa 2-1 Wolves

‘Manchester United are really struggling, not just in the Premier League. They’ve won just two of their last six games in all competitions and it doesn’t look to me as if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows what his best team is, which is a massive worry.

‘I’m fed up with predicting Manchester United wins in all honesty, so this time I’m going to go for Leicester City to get all three points.

‘The away team also have a lot of players out, with Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane ruled out due to injuries. Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly aren’t bad players, but that’s a defensive pairing that hasn’t played together regularly.

‘They are also set to come up against one of the liveliest center forwards in the Premier League in Jamie Vardy, so it could get really tricky for Manchester United.

‘If Solskjaer is still in charge by the end of November, Manchester United have done brilliantly. I say this because their fixture list is atrocious, so a loss to start things off against Leicester City could put major pressure on them.

‘This is a big spell for Manchester United, so we’ll have to see how it pans out. Manchester United’s midfield combination has been a major talking point in recent weeks.

‘I’d pick Scott McTominay as the one just in front of the central defenders, as he is the only one who is disciplined.

‘Ahead of him, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes should play, while the likes of Mason Greenwood, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho should start as a front three.

‘They paid all that money for Sancho, so he needs to be given a chance to show his worth in what could be a tricky period of their Premier League season.’

Leicester City 2-1 Manchester United

‘I see nothing but a Manchester City win. Burnley have never done well in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium – they always collapse and get beaten comfortably.

‘It’s rather surprising, because Sean Dyche is a clever manager and Burnley usually make it hard for the big teams. However, against Manchester City, they never seem to be able to bring their A-game.’

Manchester City 4-0 Burnley

‘I’m going to be at this game! I keep betting against Brentford and they keep surprising me, so this has to be the time I get a prediction right?

‘They keep on proving me wrong, but sooner or later surely I’ll be right. But all jokes aside, they’ve been absolutely brilliant this season and deservedly have a lot of points on the board at this stage of the Premier League campaign.

‘I think Timo Werner will start alongside Romelu Lukaku for this one. Brentford play three at the back, so there will be a lot of space down the channels for runners to exploit.

‘Werner has the pace to do exactly that and is coming on the back of a good outing for Germany, so he could get the nod for this one.’

Chelsea 3-1 Brentford

‘West Ham were flying in the Premier League but all of a sudden, they were beaten by Brentford in a game they were expected to win. Everton are also performing well, so this game is a hard one to call.

‘Michail Antonio being fit and firing automatically makes West Ham a different team, but Everton will come out and take the game to their opponents, so I can see this one ending all square.’

Everton 2-2 West Ham United

‘Are we looking at a team that could potentially be Premier League champions in five years? It’s going to be a good game and St. James’ Park is going to be absolutely electric.

‘It’s a great place to play football anyway, but it’s going to be even better now. The news of the Saudi takeover is absolutely massive for Newcastle United, but I still fancy Tottenham Hotspur to win this one.

‘If that happens, it’ll be a bad result for the home side, as they have a bunch of hard games coming up, so they need a win badly.

‘The win against Aston Villa was a big result for Spurs and I think that will carry on. Harry Kane is just waiting to get in amongst the goals as well, so we have to see if he finally manages to break his Premier League duck this season.’

Newcastle United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

‘I’ve been really impressed with Crystal Palace and the way Patrick Vieira has got them playing in the Premier League this season. If I was a Palace fan, I’d definitely be really excited!

‘They were 2-0 down against Leicester City, but they dug in, made a few good substitutions and got right back into the game.

‘In terms of putting away their chances, though, they haven’t done so efficiently and will have to do so to get a result against Arsenal. Vieira is set to get an unbelievable reception at the Emirates Stadium, it’s going to be a really good occasion.

‘It’s a hard game, but I still fancy Arsenal to edge this one out. I’ve always said that if Arsenal keep their main XI fit, they’ll have a chance of finishing in the top four.

‘If they win their next two games, they are suddenly at the top end of the Premier League standings, so this is a game they should look to win at all costs.’

Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace