Paul Merson Predicts the Score in Man City vs Liverpool

Paul Merson has made his weekly predictions ahead of the return of the Premier League and he is predicting a narrow win for Manchester City in the lunch-time kick-off against Liverpool. Merson provides weekly score predictions for all the Premier League matches and the big game this weekend sees the top two in the Premier League table go head to head at the Etihad Stadium. City are a point ahead of Liverpool and Arsenal in the league table and they will see this as a must win game following their draw with Chelsea last time out. Liverpool look like they are badly missing Fabinho in midfield and Jamie Carragher’s Man City v Liverpool prediction also raises concerns about in-form Doku up against Trent Alexander-Arnold. See what Merson predicts below, and what he thinks the score will be in the lunchtime kick-off.

Merson’s Man City vs Liverpool Prediction

“What a game to start off the weekend although we didn’t need this one to be an afternoon kickoff. I worry about it because it’s not exactly fair to all the players who were away on international duty. It’s a great game. People keep telling me that Manchester City won’t win the league again this season as they’re not as strong as they were last term. But we know how they peak towards the business end of the season. If they lose this game, then the race for the title race gets blown wide open. “If City win this one, I’d be worried for the rest of the league. Liverpool might not be at their best as well as they have a lot of South American players who will return late after their international commitments. But if you look at Liverpool’s attack, they have some great options. They have five forwards who are going to get double figures this season. If Haaland is fit, then I think City edge this. I think there will be goals in this one. Both managers play an attacking brand of football. However, it’s tough to go against City at home. Liverpool have a few selection headaches. I think they’ll play Joe Gomez at left-back instead of Kostas Tsimikas. He is more of a defender and he’ll tuck in. You’ve gotta be able to defend against City. In midfield, I’d probably play Wataru Endo and push Alexis Mac Allister in the ‘number 8’ postion. He keeps the ball and that’s the kind of thing you want to do against Man City. If you want to beat City, you’ve got to capitalise on that extra pass that goes through the lines. You need players who can pick that pass. Endo is the man for me here because he is patient and there is the added advantage of unlocking Mac Allister’s full potential. Liverpool have shown that they can be really shaky when they come back after the international break. I remember them getting blown away in the first half of that game against Wolverhampton Wanderers under similar circumstances. Considering everything, I predict a narrow home win for Manchester City against their title rivals.”