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Paul Merson's predictions: Burnley v Watford

Generic Paul Merson image 10/08/2016

Sky Sports football expert Paul Merson is back with another round of Premier League predictions.

The Magic Man tipped seven correct results from the 10 games last weekend, but for the third week running failed to predict a perfect score.

The sixth round of fixtures will conclude with Burnley hosting Watford on Monday Night Football.

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Merse's previous predictions

Result Merse's prediction
Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool 2-2
Everton 3-1 Middlesbrough 3-0
Leicester 3-0 Burnley 3-1
Man City 4-0 Bournemouth 3-0
West Brom 4-2 West Ham 1-1
Hull 1-4 Arsenal 1-3
Southampton 1-0 Swansea 2-0
Watford 3-1 Man Utd 2-2
Tottenham 1-0 Sunderland 3-0
Crystal Palace 4-1 Stoke 3-1

So what is Merse predicting for MNF? Read on to find out...

Burnley v Watford - Monday Night Football from 7pm, live on Sky Sports 1 HD

Watford are scoring goals and doing brilliantly after a sticky start.

Etienne Capoue is taking the pressure off Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney by chipping in with goals, and Walter Mazzarri has done a superb job so far.

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Highlights from Everton's win over Middlesbrough

Burnley would have probably highlighted this game at the start of the season as a must-win home match but it's a difficult one for them.

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PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds 9/1)

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Bournemouth v Everton - Saturday, 3pm

When Everton get their best XI out on the pitch, they can give anybody a game but I was shocked by their result in midweek against Norwich.

They are not in Europe so what are their objectives this year? A top-six finish would be great but it's not smart to put all your eggs in one basket.

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Highlights from Man City's 4-0 win over Bournemouth

If you lose two or three games on the spin in the league your fans can get disheartened, but if you have a cup run at the same time it helps massively.

Still, Everton are a handful at the moment and Bournemouth will have a go, and I think that style of play could suit the visitors.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds 15/2)

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Stoke v West Brom - Saturday, 3pm

You don't manage 1,000 games if you are not a good coach and West Brom fans need to wake up and smell the coffee. If it wasn't for Tony Pulis they would be relegated.

They got a big result last weekend and this is a good time to play Stoke. They are bottom of the league and have just gone out of the cup, so they need to change their luck very quickly.

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Highlights from Liverpool's win over Chelsea

They look weak at set-pieces and that's one area where West Brom are very strong. 

It's a dangerous game for Stoke because they are expected to win. I think they will, but their flair players need to show up.

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 17/2)

Middlesbrough v Tottenham - Saturday, 3pm

It will be interesting to see how Spurs cope without Harry Kane, but it was important for Vincent Janssen to get off the mark in midweek.

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Highlights from Crystal Palace's 4-1 win over Stoke

I see Tottenham, who went to Stoke and gave them a footballing lesson, winning this pretty comfortably at the Riverside. They look a very good team.

PAUL PREDICTS: 0-3 (Sky Bet odds 14/1)

Liverpool v Hull - Saturday, 3pm

Hull will go to Anfield and try to make it difficult. They got another good result at Stoke in the EFL Cup, although I'm not sure they needed that with the squad they've got!

For Liverpool, these are the games that worry me. The players get up for the big matches against Arsenal, Chelsea and the rest, but they have struggled to put away some of the so-called lesser teams.

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Highlights from Liverpool's win over Chelsea

Liverpool need to become consistent performers against teams like Hull and if they can win on Saturday, I think they will be a major threat this season.

They win by a good margin if their attitude is right and if they play their best then Mike Phelan's side won't be able to get near them.

PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (Sky Bet odds 11/2)

Swansea v Man City - Saturday, 3pm

Manchester City are on a different planet at the moment. At the start of the season you looked at Pep Guardiola, who managed Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and thought, 'those are two teams where you don't have to do too much, you make sure you don't forget the boots, sit down and pick the team'.

But he's come to Man City with virtually the same team as last season and they look unbelievable now. They are playing like Barcelona and it's phenomenal to watch.

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Highlights from Arsenal's 4-1 victory over Hull

They do have to be careful because I saw John Stones take a few chances against Swansea in the EFL Cup, but if they keep it simple they are just too good.

PAUL PREDICTS: 0-3 (Sky Bet odds 8/1)

Sunderland v Crystal Palace - Saturday, 3pm

This is a perfect game for Crystal Palace. Sunderland will have a go and Crystal Palace are a better team when opponents attack. They have a bit of Leicester about them on the counter.

They will be sky high in confidence, too, after a couple of good results and I am backing them to win again.

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Highlights from Southampton's 1-0 win over Swansea

There's a lot of pressure on Sunderland and they need to make sure they don't go too gung-ho because I think Wilfried Zaha, Jason Puncheon and Christian Benteke could punish them.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds 17/2)

Arsenal v Chelsea - Saturday, 5.30pm

This is a huge match, especially with Man City playing at 3pm, because whoever slips up will probably be even further behind the current league leaders.

I give the slight advantage to Arsenal because they're at home but it is one of those situations whereby, come 7pm on Saturday night, we will know what kind of season they will have.

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Highlights from West Brom's win over West Ham

They are flat-track bullies but don't really turn it on against the big teams and could be eight points off the top if they lose and City win. Do you see City losing three games without Arsenal also slipping up?

For me, Cesc Fabregas has to play for Chelsea. N'Golo Kante will cover every blade of grass but you need someone to get on the ball and pass it. Fabregas is among the best in the Premier League in possession.

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 8/1)

Manchester United v Leicester

I'm a bit worried about Man United. I don't think Jose Mourinho knows his best team yet and that's the problem.

There are players playing out of position, they look short on confidence, and this is a big football match for them, considering they are already six points behind Manchester City.

I think they should copy how Liverpool played against Leicester, pressing them high and suffocating them. If they don't, it is set-up perfectly for Leicester to pick United off.

Claudio Ranieri likes to sit everybody behind the ball and if United don't score early, their players and fans will become frustrated, and that will play into Leicester's hands.

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-2

West Ham v Southampton

If West Ham don't win this game, they are in for a long season at the London Stadium.

Accrington looked pretty comfortable on Wednesday in the EFL Cup until Dimitri Payet's late free-kick bailed West Ham out.

Southampton were unlucky against Arsenal and since then they have done very well, winning three on the bounce. They have turned the corner.

It's good to see Charlie Austin back among the goals, too, and you just want Shane Long to be as ruthless as Austin.

He gets into great positions, but doesn't have the killer instinct to finish. He will still do his hard work and I think West Ham need to watch him, because he'll be too quick for their defenders on the break.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1

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