Paul Merson FOOTBALL EXPERT & COLUMNIST Paul Mersons Premier League predictions - Week 12 Soccer Saturday pundit tips defeat for Tottenham, Southampton, Sunderland and Norwich United: Merse expects them to win at Cardiff Cardiff are playing Manchester United at the right time. Everybody has just come back from the international break and there are questions over the fitness of Danny Welbeck, Michael Carrick, Jonny Evans and a few others. And remember, Manchester United will have one eye on a Champions League game they need to win against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, so this is a good time to play them. I dont think David Moyes can afford to rest any of his players. I reckon Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea will all win this weekend and if Manchester United drop points then they will slip further back in the title race and all the good work they did by beating Arsenal two weeks ago will go out the window. This will be a difficult game for them, but I think they will win it. The Cardiff City Stadium isnt the hardest place to go - I saw Tottenham go there the other week and they could have scored 100 - and Cardiff havent looked good in some games, especially away from home. It all depends how long they can hold out. PAUL PREDICTS: 0-2 Man City v Tottenham Even though Tottenham lost to Newcastle, I think they could take a lot of positives from the game. They looked like scoring a lot of goals in the second half and they attacked with more pace and fluency than they have all season. Its the best Ive seen them and they only lost because Tim Krul had an outstanding game. However, theyd have expected nine points from their last three home games and they walked away with three - which was a dodgy penalty against Hull. Overall their build-up play has been too slow this season and Andre Villas-Boas seems to set his teams up to avoid defeat, rather than going out to win. Manchester City are a real force at home and the way they move the ball is something to behold. With no Vincent Kompany in the team then Tottenham have a chance to expose them, but it all depends on how much of the ball they get. I just think City will dominate them in that department. This is a big game and one which Tottenham need to try to make sure they dont lose - but I think they will. PAUL PREDICTS: 3-1 West Brom v Aston Villa The result of this game pretty much depends on whether or not Christian Benteke is fit. If hes on form then I would fancy Villa to beat anybody away from home. Their home form isnt the best, but when youve got Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann up front with Benteke then the combination of strength and pace is a match for anybody. But if Benteke isnt fit then I cant see how theyll beat West Brom. Libor Kozak would probably come into the side and he offers plenty in the air, but hes not a goalscorer like Benteke - and the other forwards are the same. Hes so important to their counter-attacking game. As for West Brom, a lot of people thought they might pick off from where they were last year and go marching towards the top of the table, but they had a difficult start and people were saying they were a one-season wonder. Youve got to give them credit for the way theyve responded though. They went to Manchester United and won and should have won at Chelsea two weeks ago. They drew at home to Arsenal and got a tonking at Liverpool - but one defeat in those four games isnt a bad return at all. I think this will probably be a draw if Benteke plays - but if he doesnt then I can see West Brom winning it 2-1. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (as long as Benteke is fit) West Ham v Chelsea Chelsea have had a couple of bad results against Newcastle and West Brom, which you can put down to complacency, but they are still there or thereabouts in the title race. I expect them to get back to winning ways in this game because I cant see how West Ham are going to hurt them. They put all their eggs in one basket with Andy Carroll and then he got injured, which has been a big blow. Carlton Cole hasnt played football for a long time and hell be marked by four international footballers on Saturday, which will make it even more difficult. The worrying thing for Sam Allardyce is that theyve been playing fairly well and yet are right down the bottom, but they should be ok in the long run. I cant see them getting anything from this game though. PAUL PREDICTS: 0-2 Everton v Liverpool I was up in Liverpool last week with a few Everton fans and they were saying theyd take a draw in this derby. I found that worrying because youd expect them to be a bit more confident at home. I like Everton, but they havent been great lately and they really struggled against Crystal Palace. They should have lost really and in the end it was a point gained rather than two lost. They arent scoring a lot of goals, but I wonder if Liverpools strikers might be a bit below par as well. Luis Suarez is coming back from a long journey and Daniel Sturridge looks to be carrying a little niggle. If there isnt an early goal this could fizzle out. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 Arsenal v Southampton I dont see anything but an Arsenal win - and even Matt Le Tissier will probably agree with me on that one. If people think Southampton are going to go to the Emirates and beat the form team in the league then they should be favourites to win the Premier League! They have been doing well this season, but have been punching above their weight and this is a journey too far. Southampton will try to squeeze Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger has got players who are comfortable and quick on the ball and can pass it around them. It was 6-1 last year and while it wont be that many this time I cant see anything but a home win. PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 Fulham v Swansea Fulham have got a joint management team now... when has that ever worked in English football? I feel sorry for Martin Jol because Rene Meulensteen cant lose whatever happens. If the results dont improve then hell just say that he cant work miracles with an ageing team, but if they do well then everybody will give him the credit for it. In my opinion Fulham will not go down this season and theyve been getting a lot of unworthy stick. At the end of the day most of the teams in the Premier League just need to come fourth bottom and if you dont start well youll always be up against it. I thought Swansea would kick on after last season, but theyve disappointed me so far and I think this will be a draw. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 Hull v Crystal Palace The length of time it has taken Crystal Palace to get a manager in place has become a bit of a joke and that gap has not been good for the football club. However, I have to say that the fans have been absolutely brilliant this season; they never stop singing and have been a different class. Ive watched a lot of Hull this year and I think they and Southampton are the two most organised teams in the Premier League. For that reason I can see them edging out Palace at home. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0 Newcastle v Norwich Norwichs game with West Ham was certainly a game of two halves... it was almost like they were playing on a slope with the wind behind them. Chris Hughton must have been thrilled to hear the half-time whistle because they were getting well beaten, but then they came out and won well after the break. However, I cant see Newcastle losing at home. They have got some very good players who are finally starting to gel - as we saw against Chelsea and Tottenham. People say Tim Krul played well against Spurs, but you have to ride your luck against the top teams. Surely if they can win those games then they can beat Norwich? PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 Stoke v Sunderland Sunderland beat Manchester City a fortnight ago and whod have predicted that? Ive been very impressed with the way Gus Poyet has started and I think hes got things spot on tactically (just look at how well they performed against Hull with nine men). Unfortunately I dont see them winning this game and I am just going to go for Stoke. If they can turn their possession into more goals then they could be a force and I think this game could kick-start them a little bit. Im going for them to win narrowly. PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0 WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 11:12:00 +0000
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