Merson makes Man City vs Man City derby prediction as he foresees Liverpool, Arsenal results

Paul Merson has made his prediction as Man Utd travel to Man City in the Manchester derby on Sunday, while he foresees wins for Liverpool and Arsenal.

Man Utd have won seven out of their last nine matches in all competitions heading into their clash with Man City at the weekend, although their performances have still been criticised by Jamie Carragher and others despite their good form.

The Red Devils are chasing a place in the top four, with fourth-placed Aston Villa currently eight points ahead of them, while Man City are looking to keep pace with Premier League leaders Liverpool.

And former Arsenal midfielder Merson reckons it will be a “comfortable” afternoon for the Citizens as Man Utd will pose little threat without Rasmus Hojlund up front.

On the Manchester derby, Merson told Sportskeeda: “If Rasmus Hojlund was fit, I’d have given Manchester United a chance in this game as the away side would have had a lot of pace in attack with the Danish striker playing alongside Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.

“Now that Hojlund is out injured, I think it would be one-way traffic in favour of the home side. I actually think Manchester United are going to the Etihad Stadium in damage-limitation mode – so I’m going to be kind and go for a 3-0 home win but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a lot worse.

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“Erling Haaland scoring five goals away from home against a Premier League side in the FA Cup is not normal, but we tend to take him for granted. I can’t put into words how extraordinary a feat that is – it was mindblowing and I mean it. He’s absolutely ruthless in front of goal and doesn’t care if he scores a tap-in or a diving header, that’s what I love about him!

“I personally think Liverpool’s game against Forest is a harder one to call than this one, so I’m going for a comfortable home win. Man City 3-0 Man Utd.”

Liverpool travel to Nottingham Forest looking to protect their one-point lead over Man City at the Premier League summit but Merson predicts a tricky afternoon for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Merson added: “People might say it’s a blessing in disguise for Forest to get knocked out of the FA Cup, but I don’t agree with that. As far as Liverpool are concerned, they have a lorry load of injuries with a handful of young kids featuring regularly for them, but sooner or later, it might be a game too far for the young lads.

“This is a hard game, but I think Liverpool could have a bunch of senior players back in the squad for this one, with Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo expected to play some role in this game. I doubt Klopp will rush his key players back, especially with the Manchester City game on the horizon, but he’ll have them on standby in case this game doesn’t go as planned.

“Their young players have been outstanding so far, but they can’t play against Man City, with all due respect to them, so it remains to be seen how Klopp approaches this game in terms of his selection. Nonetheless, I’m going for a Liverpool win, but this is not going to be straightforward for the Reds.Nottingham Forest 1-2 Liverpool.”

Arsenal are chasing both Man City and Liverpool and will look to increase the pressure on them as they make a trip to Bramall Lane to face Premier League bottom side Sheffield United.

Merson continued: “I can’t see anything but an Arsenal win here. After successive defeats to Fulham and West Ham United in late 2023, I thought the Gunners’ title challenge would fizzle out, but they’ve been absolutely magnificent since the turn of the year and are scoring goals for fun!

“Again, I’ll stop at three, but I think it could be any scoreline here. Arsenal have a good balance to their team and will look to score early as they have in most of their games in recent weeks. Sheffield United 0-3 Arsenal.”