Paul Merson and Chris Sutton make Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham predictions as 'out of their hands' claim made

Another big weekend of Premier League football is already underway, and we have a London derby to look forward to on Saturday, with Arsenal taking on West Ham at the Emirates Stadium, hoping to keep their title hopes alive, while the Hammers are desperately attempting to climb the table under Graham Potter.

Elsewhere, Tottenham will be looking to take another step towards recovering their season against strugglers Ipswich Town, and Chelsea face Aston Villa in a top four six-pointer. Here we round up the predictions from BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton and SportsKeeda’s Paul Merson.

Arsenal vs West Ham

Paul Merson

“Arsenal have an advantage this week since they are playing before Liverpool. If they beat West Ham, they close that gap at the top to just five points. And If Liverpool lose to City on Sunday, the title race is wide open! This will still be a hard game for Arsenal though. I thought Arsenal struggled vs Leicester until Mikel Merino scored two very good late goals. West Ham were decent against Chelsea, I liked how they played even though they lost!

“Arsenal were poor in the first 70 minutes against Leicester. The football wasn't free flowing at all. I was gutted for Raheem Sterling because for some reason he just can't seem to get going at Arsenal. Despite his goal in the last game, I think Merino will be left on the bench here. I expect Mikel Arteta to use the same front three he used against Leicester. If it doesn't work out, he can always bring Merino on and hope for the same result.

“West Ham will come out and frustrate Arsenal in this game, plus the Hammers have the firepower in the form of players who can pick you off. They are also a better team in games they are forced to rely on counter-attack. Arsenal have a tricky run of fixtures after this game. This is a must-win clash and they must look at one game at a time rather than getting too ahead of themselves. The title is still well out of their hands though. Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 West Ham United.”

Chris Sutton

“Midfielder Mikel Merino is the main man for Arsenal up front now after two such important late goals against Leicester last week. With Liverpool dropping points against Aston Villa on Wednesday, Arsenal have them in their sights and it will be really interesting to see how Gunners boss Mikel Arteta approaches this game.

“If they beat West Ham, Liverpool's lead at the top is down to five points and the Hammers don't seem to be in the kind of form to stop them. West Ham have not got going at all under new boss Graham Potter. Like Manchester United, they are not getting relegated, but their fans have not had much to smile about all season.

“Arsenal won 5-2 at London Stadium in November, with all the goals coming in the first half. There won't be quite as many this time, but I still think Arsenal's intensity will see them end up convincing winners. Prediction: 3-0”

Ipswich Town vs Tottenham

Paul Merson

“Tottenham beating Manchester United and getting a few of their players back from injury makes this a really difficult game for Ipswich. I still think this will be highly entertaining and I'm backing both teams to score goals.

“Ipswich got a brilliant result away from home against Aston Villa last weekend. They were reduced to 10 men and still got the lead in that game before conceding in a 1-1 draw. I'm backing them to get another draw here, but I'm not sure that's a good result for Ipswich because they need to start getting some wins to stand a chance at avoiding relegation.

“Tottenham should go all in on winning the Europa League. If Spurs win it, they can get in the Champions League next season. The fans need to understand they will have to sacrifice some games in the league for them to win the Europa League and get back to playing with the big boys in Europe.

“There are not many great teams left in the Europa League and Tottenham definitely have a chance to win it. I can't see how Manchester United are going to win that competition! Spurs should rest players according to the Europa League schedule and focus on winning that trophy Prediction: Ipswich Town 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur.”

Chris Sutton

“Ipswich got a great battling point against Aston Villa last week but wins are what they need in their situation at the bottom of the table. They beat Tottenham earlier in the season to get their first victory of the campaign and another one would be absolutely massive for them.

“I really hope they do it - not for me, but for my daughter's teacher, Mr Fields who is a big Tractor Boys fan. But this game is big for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou too. Having James Maddison back fit obviously helps Spurs, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also played really well against Manchester United on his return from injury too. So, while my first thought was that Ipswich could get some joy from playing on the counter-attack, I am going with a draw. Prediction: 1-1.”

Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Paul Merson

“Chelsea are struggling so bad at the moment. I look at them and they are missing Nicolas Jackson quite badly. Without him, I don't see a real pattern of play at Chelsea. Jackson's absence is also affecting Cole Palmer, who has to drop deeper now.

“Axel Disasi being ineligible to face his parent club Chelsea is a blow for Aston Villa. But they will have no problem going forward because they have some quality players in their ranks. I expect Villa to find the back of the net no matter what. Chelsea are in desperate need of a result and this is a hard place to go to in such a situation.

“Villa should have a real go in the Champions League. The atmosphere at Villa Park during these European games have been incredible and they must keep it up in the knockout stages. If they do that, they have a chance at progressing further. We've seen a pattern this season where Villa struggle in the league after Champions League games. So it's all about finding the balance for them. Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea.”

Chris Sutton

“Chelsea's form has been pretty rotten recently and their manager, Enzo Maresca, also needs a strong finish to the season. It doesn't help that Cole Palmer has lost his mojo, on top of their issues at centre-forward and in goal. Maresca really needs to make the Champions League places but nothing is clicking for his side at the moment.

“Aston Villa are probably in better shape in terms of their performances, but their results have also not been great with four draws and a defeat in their past five league games. They were great going forward against Liverpool on Wednesday but just cannot keep clean sheets - although Tyrone Mings' return to the team from injury is big for them at the back.

“I had to think a bit about this one but I am going for my old club Villa to beat my old club Chelsea, and Maresca might start to come under a bit of pressure if this poor run carries on much longer. Prediction: 2-1.”

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