Paul Merson predicts Manchester City vs Tottenham, Newcastle vs Liverpool and other Premier League GW2 fixtures 

It's only been a week since the Premier League returned and what a joy it has already been! The opening weekend had its fair share of thrills and spills, reminding us why this great league is so enjoyable week in, week out.

I thought Leeds and Sunderland were outstanding. When was the last time two newly-promoted teams won their first game back in the top-flight? That is the best possible start they could have hoped for.

I would say Manchester City impressed me the most among the big boys in the division. No one's ever mentioned them as title contenders, we were all saying Liverpool and Arsenal. City have now made a huge statement by putting four goals past Wolves without a reply, even though both Arsenal and Liverpool also won their opening games.

Without further ado, let us dive straight into my predictions for gameweek 2 in the Premier League:

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West Ham United vs Chelsea

Chelsea v Crystal Palace - Premier League - Source: Getty

You know what? This is a huge, huge game now for both teams. I thought both of them looked very poor last weekend. If Chelsea lose or draw to West Ham, that would be a massive blow. I actually think this will be a hard game for Chelsea, unlike what most people think! West Ham will not come out and have a go at the visitors, they will sit behind the ball and be patient.

If Chelsea had won against Crystal Palace in their opening game, I would have tipped them to secure a comfortable win here. But they lacked any sort of cohesion in that game. West Ham were battered by Sunderland last Saturday. I believe they were the most disappointing team to watch in gameweek 1 and let themselves down with that performance. West Ham have no legs in midfield and look like they're in danger already!

I would play Liam Delap in this game. West Ham are quite physical at the back and that might not suit Joao Pedro. Delap is good with his back to goal and can hold the ball up well. Away from home, he's a better fit than Pedro in my opinion.

Cole Palmer has not produced a goal contribution from open play since February in the Premier League. That is a massive blip. Chelsea should have gone for Eberechi Eze. If Palmer isn't breaking teams down for you, who else is going to do it? That's why Eze would have been the perfect fit at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are relying too much on Palmer now and I'm surprised they didn't make a move for Eze.

West Ham will not want to open this game up. If that happens, there will only be one winner, and that's Chelsea! So I reckon they will sit back and try to keep Palmer quiet. This is a must-win game for Chelsea, especially since they are a club with huge ambition every year. I'm going to back the Blues to secure a narrow win.

Prediction: West Ham United 0-1 Chelsea

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Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City - Premier League - Source: Getty

This is the first real test of the new season for Manchester City and Tottenham. I remember Spurs went to the Etihad last season and destroyed City! A lot has changed at both clubs since then, and this game will be a good watch.

I still think Tottenham are a work-in-progress. You can't get carried away by the win against Burnley. I don't see them getting well beaten by City though, that's not happening under Thomas Frank. Spurs will be disappointed about losing Eberechi Eze to Arsenal. Now they have to go put all their eggs in some other basket!

Erling Haaland looked sharp in the win over Wolves and as long as he's fit, City will always be in the title race. But I don't fancy the wingers at Pep Guardiola's disposal. I'm not a big fan of Jeremy Doku. I just think he does not make things happen often enough. When Phil Foden is ready, I expect him to come back into the team and City's front-three will look a lot stronger.

I'm not as bullish as I was with my predictions in the past about this fixture. Frank will go there with a plan to stop City. I'm still backing Manchester City to win, but Spurs could have their moments.

Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

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Bournemouth vs Wolves

Liverpool v Bournemouth - Premier League - Source: Getty

Bournemouth were decent the other day against Liverpool. I can't say the same about Wolves. I expected more of a fight from them against City! I said it at the start of the season, if you're a newly-promoted team, you are looking at the likes of Wolves and West Ham as the teams you can chase down in the battle to avoid relegation.

I can't see Wolves scoring too many goals at the moment. So I'm backing Bournemouth to open their account for the season with a win on home turf.

Prediction: Bournemouth 2-0 Wolves

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Burnley vs Sunderland

Sunderland v West Ham United - Premier League - Source: Getty

What a massive game coming up here. I'm looking at this one and I feel like Burnley have to win it, they must not drop points again this weekend! Sunderland played as a team against West Ham. I must admit that I wasn't entirely sure of them clicking straightaway, especially after that many signings. But there's a real sense of togetherness among their group and that could be crucial over the course of the season.

I'm not sure Sunderland can back up their extraordinary start to the season with another win here though. I fancy Burnley at home and I think they will get three points to go level with Sunderland and Leeds in the points table.

Prediction: Burnley 1-0 Sunderland

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Brentford vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa v Newcastle United - Premier League - Source: Getty

To be fair, both teams were poor last weekend. Newcastle looked far better than Aston Villa and could have easily won that game, if they had a proper no.9 playing through the middle. I like how Aston Villa are linked with wanting to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea. I think he would be a good fit under Unai Emery, but I just can't believe he hasn't joined them already!

Brentford got blown away by Nottingham Forest in their opening game. They have to be a little careful because a few straight defeats can really knock the wind out of your sails in this league. Another defeat here would make it two losses in two for Brentford and that's never a good sign when you're trying to rebuild under a new manager.

I think Brentford will frustrate Villa at home. I don't think these teams can be separated at the end of full-time.

Prediction: Brentford 1-1 Aston Villa

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Arsenal vs Leeds United

Manchester United v Arsenal - Premier League - Source: Getty

Eze is an absolute massive signing for Arsenal, he has the X-factor they need! It looks like the Alexander Isak deal will eventually happen and with an injury to Kai Havertz, Arsenal had no choice but to go get him. But what it does is, it kind of helps them cover all bases. Mikel Arteta has all the players he wanted at his disposal now. I can't express how big a signing this is for Arsenal, unbelievable. I haven't been so excited about a signing in such a long time!

This is a good game for Arsenal to begin their league campaign at home. It's even better because Leeds just won because they will feel more confident and may go have a free swing at this game. If Leeds come out and try to play their football at the Emirates, the game will really open up for Arsenal's quality to shine through. If Leeds had lost to Everton, they would have opted to sit back but now this game is more like a free-hit to them.

I'm backing Viktor Gyokeres to score. He did not get any quality chances against Manchester United, but that won't be the case against Leeds. It's not easy coming to a club like Arsenal and making an impact straightaway.

Even though Arsenal have now got everyone they wanted in the transfer window, only time will tell if they really did the best business. I say that because it's now up to the players to perform and prove their credentials.

I don't think Eze's arrival will affect Martin Odegaard's role. I expect Eze to play off the left, with Saka on the right and Gyokeres up top. I liked Odegaard's performance against Manchester United, he was one of the few shining lights in that win. Nothing but another Arsenal win here.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Leeds United

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Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest v Brentford - Premier League - Source: Getty

Nottingham Forest shocked me last weekend. I know it was only Brentford, but what a brilliant performance. Chris Wood has picked up from where he left off last season and that's a sign of real promise for Nuno Espirito Santo.

Crystal Palace will be in action during their Europa Conference League playoff game later tonight (Thursday) and Eze is expected complete his Arsenal medical on Friday. Palace are solid in defence and tidy in midfield, but Eze is the guy who makes things happen for them. I don't think they can break Forest down without him on Sunday. Forest to make it two wins out of two.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 0-2 Nottingham Forest

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Everton vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Leeds United v Everton - Premier League - Source: Getty

Everton had a really bad result last time out, it was shocking. I don't think Brighton had the best game either against Fulham, who grabbed a point at the end. Everton don't look like they're capable of scoring tons of goals, so that could be a problem for David Moyes. It's a new stadium they have to get used to here as well, so I'm not sure how much 'home advantage' they can rely on at the moment.

Although I must admit Brighton are not the team they were last season. If you keep selling your best players all the time, sooner or later, it will catch up with you and I think it showed last weekend against Fulham.

I think this is a really dangerous game for Everton to kick-off proceedings in their stadium. But I'm still going to back them to beat Brighton by a narrow margin.

Prediction: Everton 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion

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Fulham vs Manchester United

Manchester United v Arsenal - Premier League - Source: Getty

Manchester United were alright against Arsenal, but they won't play a more open game than that all season, and yet, they couldn't score a goal! I don't think Manchester United were as great as some people say. It looks like their new signings might take time to get used to each other and they still lack a killer instinct in front of goal.

Matheus Cunha showed some spark, but there was a moment when he beat three players and could only muster a weak attempt. That is the problem if you ask me. Fulham will not offer the kind of space that Arsenal gave lavishly for him to operate. I actually don't think there will be a lot to separate these two teams on the table at the end of the season.

I was impressed by Matthijs de Ligt, I thought he was solid. It was almost the perfect battle for him against Gyokeres. But Manchester United still ended up losing the game. Not sure if they are okay with playing better and losing, especially considering their situation now! I think this will be a draw.

Prediction: Fulham 1-1 Manchester United

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Newcastle United vs Liverpool

Liverpool v Bournemouth - Premier League - Source: Getty

Thanks to Alexander Isak, this has become the spiciest game of the season! It's a massive acid test for Liverpool at St James' Park. I was impressed with Newcastle against Villa last weekend. Sandro Tonali was different class and if they had a proper centre-forward, they would have won that game easily. I suppose that's why the fans are so angry with Isak, Newcastle are not a bad team anymore!

I fully understand Isak's feelings, but the circumstances at Newcastle have changed. They are in the Champions League now and they're not in a situation where they must offload him for £100 million to balance their books. This is an ambitious club and they want to keep their best players.

But if you are Newcastle, you have to sort this out at the earliest. What if Isak decides he won't play for the club, if he isn't sold? They would have to keep paying him for doing nothing at least until January. So it's best to get rid of him and bring in someone else. He's not the first player to do it, happens every year! We have Yoane Wissa doing the same at Brentford. Isak is a bigger name and that's why it's making all the headlines here.

It will be an insane atmosphere on Monday night, no doubt about it. This is a hard test for Liverpool against Newcastle's midfield. Liverpool made it an end-to-end game against Bournemouth because they knew it suits them. Even though they conceded twice in that game, they still scored four goals. But if Newcastle can keep things tight and be solid in midfield, which I think they will, it won't be easy for Liverpool.

Arne Slot's men are always going to be a bit open on the right side because of Jeremie Frimpong's attacking nature. Teams are going to work out how to get around that side and that will be a worry for Liverpool. Harvey Barnes could enjoy a lot of freedom on that flank here. I think Anthony Gordon will once again start centrally, even though it doesn't suit him completely. Don't get me wrong, he's a quality player and has troubled Liverpool in the past. But I just think it's best when he comes inside from a wider position.

I believe Newcastle can cause problems to Liverpool. This should be an entertaining watch, won't want to miss it for anything in the world!

Prediction: Newcastle United 2-2 Liverpool