Premier League predictions

Am anticipating a weekend of home comforts in the Premier League, tipping travelling teams to come unstuck on the road.

This round of fixtures marks the start of what promises to be a hectic and pivotal period at both ends of the table.

The standout game of the weekend comes at Stamford Bridge with Manchester United looking to spring a surprise against league leaders Chelsea.

United come into the game on the back of a miserable run of form which has seen them pick up just four points from a possible 21.

That spelled the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Michael Carrick set to be in the dugout this time around, with Ralf Ragnick expected to take over next week.

Meanwhile, Arsenal look to get back on the horse when they face Newcastle at the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime. The Gunners saw their long unbeaten record emphatically ended by Liverpool last weekend and will hope to put pressure back on the top four with a win.

Arsenal were on a 10-game unbeaten streak before Liverpool ended their purple patch. Newcastle showed signs of improvement against Brentford but will find it difficult to keep Arsenal at bay.

Newcastle didn’t get a particularly great result against Brentford the other day, but they did have a good game. Their fans want to see good football from them, but I don’t see them troubling Arsenal this weekend.

Premier League predictions

In another enticing fixture, Manchester City, fresh off a win over Paris Saint-Germain, take on West Ham at the Etihad. The Hammers saw their top-four challenge take a hit last week, losing 1-0 to in-form Wolves and will be looking to repeat the trick which saw them take three points off Liverpool earlier this month.

Liverpool sent out a title statement with victory over Arsenal at Anfield and Merson expects them to follow that up with another routine home victory.