Paul Merson and Chris Sutton make Chelsea, Tottenham and Fulham predictions as 'not convinced' claim made

Another big weekend of action awaits in the Premier League, and perhaps the biggest of the lot involves Chelsea as they welcome a tough-to-beat Everton side in their bid to land Champions League football.

Elsewhere, Fulham take on relegated Southampton in their bid to secure European football. West Ham take on Brighton as Graham Potter returns to the South coast club, and Tottenham have the tough job of delaying Liverpool’s Premier League title at Anfield. Here we round up all of the predictions for those games from BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton and SportsKeeda’s Paul Merson.

Chelsea vs Everton

Chris Sutton

“The worry for Everton is it looks like James Tarkowski is out for the season with the hamstring injury he sustained against Manchester City. That is a massive blow for them at the back, because they did not look the same team defensively once he went off. Everton are without striker Armando Broja too, because he is on loan from Chelsea and cannot face his parent club, but I feel like he has kind of been on trial in the past couple of games anyway.

“David Moyes has been having a look at Broja, probably to weigh up whether or not to sign him permanently in the summer, but Everton are probably better off with Beto leading their attack. He will be a threat running in behind when they try to break forward, and Abdoulaye Doucoure will try get up there too in support.

“They might get some joy here because while Chelsea are still in the mix for the top five after their fightback to beat Fulham, things are clearly still not right with them. An element of their fans are just not having Enzo Maresca and his style of play, and it will be interesting to see how the Stamford Bridge crowd react if things don't go to plan on Saturday.

“I am really not convinced by Chelsea's attack at the moment, especially with Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson so out of form. Even with Tarkowski missing, they could struggle to break Everton down. Prediction: 1-1.”

Paul Merson

“Chelsea got a big result last weekend when they beat Fulham through a late winner. But unfortunately, the other results did not go their way. Manchester City won late on against Villa, Nottingham Forest beat Spurs and that's the problem. So this is a must-win game for Chelsea. They need to get three points, put pressure on others around them and hope someone slips up!

“I know Chelsea have to play the Europa Conference League semi-final after this game. But come on, they have to be serious about the Premier League. Getting back in the Champions League should be their number one priority.

“Cole Palmer has now gone almost 16 games without a goal. We say this every week now, he must find a way to get back to his best. What has gone wrong for him? There are three things I can think of. First, he got injured and I suspect if he was rushed back in too early. Second, as obvious as it sounds, teams are now finding a way to block him. And lastly, the system. When Palmer was at his best, he was free to do anything he wants on the pitch but we don't see that now.

“It could be any of these reasons. It's a shock to me that he has gone so long without a goal. Top players always find a way though and he must do it now. This will be a difficult game for Chelsea because Everton are a tough team to beat. You cannot understimate them. I'm still going for a narrow win for Chelsea here. Prediction: Chelsea 1-0 Everton.”

Brighton vs West Ham

Chris Sutton

“Both of these teams are badly in need of a win - Brighton have gone five games without a victory, while West Ham are on a run of six. There are a lot of unhappy Hammers fans at the moment, especially after they could only draw with Southampton last week. That is not the kind of result that wins fans over, and seeing Graham Potter take Jarrod Bowen off with the score at 1-0 did not help.

“Potter has picked up fewer points per game since taking charge than his predecessor, Julen Lopetegui, and I don't see much changing for him on his return to the Amex, where he had a much happier time. Brighton have issues too - their form has fallen off a cliff of late and their supporters are not pleased with the way they are finishing the season either. They have still had a decent campaign, but they have become leaky at the back and they could do with a positive result or two if they are going to stay in with a chance of making it into Europe. Prediction: 2-1.”

Paul Merson

“Both these teams are in desperate need of a win, aren't they? I watched Brighton at home against Leicester and I was so disappointed. They were barely hanging on in the end against one of the worst teams in the division in that 2-2 draw. West Ham are 17th in the table and were held to a draw by Southampton recently. And that just shows there is nothing great to write home about them either. In all honesty, at this point in time, both these teams are equally bad!

“We've spoken in detail about Brighton crumbling under pressure this season. We saw that happen not once but twice already and I think that's quite strange. On the other hand, I like Graham Potter but I just don't think he has been at his best at West Ham. It's funny because West Ham have players who can be good with the ball, but their work off the ball is letting them down.

“We saw it with PSG when they had Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar. Look at PSG now compared to back then. Even if you are super talented, you have to be good without the ball! West Ham are probably waiting to see out the season and start fresh under Potter. I'm going to give with Brighton here just because of their home advantage though. Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 West Ham United.”

Southampton vs Fulham

Chris Sutton

“Southampton's draw with West Ham means they have equalled the points tally of Robbie Savage's useless Derby County side in 2007-08, but I still feel my 606 co-host has to go down as the Premier League's worst-ever captain. I take my hat off to Saints fans, because they have stuck with their team through such a dismal season - and maybe they will have something to celebrate when they play Leicester next week.

“I don't see them getting anything here, though. Fulham will be annoyed at letting their lead slip against Chelsea last time out, but they have got more quality than Southampton, and they will make it count. Prediction: 0-2.”

Paul Merson

“Southampton finally got the point they needed to match Derby County! They don't need to worry about that now and that must be a relief. Fulham went 1-0 up against Chelsea last weekend and then fizzled out. Similar to Brighton, Fulham are a team that get to a place and then they just melt.

“I don't think Southampton getting that point against West Ham last weekend makes them a good team overnight though. So I'm going to back Fulham to win this clash. Prediction: Southampton 1-2 Fulham.”

Liverpool vs Tottenham

Chris Sutton

“Liverpool only need a point to make sure of the title, and it is going to happen against Tottenham on Sunday. There is an argument that Spurs, and Manchester United too, should go strong in these Premier League games to try to find the rhythm they have been lacking all season, and get the team playing the way we know they can to help them in their Europa League semi-finals.

“But I don't see Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou doing that before his side play Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, and I can only see one outcome. Liverpool have hardly been that sharp of late but they will be determined to win the title in front of their own fans for the first time in 35 years. They were not able to do that when they last won the title in 2020 because of the Covid regulations at the time, so doing it now is a big deal for them. I am expecting them to raise their game and blow Spurs away to get the job done. Prediction: 4-1.”

Paul Merson

“Nothing but a Liverpool win here. Tottenham will surely rest key players for the Europa League semi-final vs Bodo/Glimt. Even if Spurs played their main team, I wouldn't fancy them to beat Liverpool at Anfield.

“Liverpool have basically signed two £100 million-worth players with the renewals of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. They are basically the best players in the world in their respective positions. Liverpool now need a new left-back and I expect them to get Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, which will sort out their business for the summer.

“There is talk of a few outgoings at Liverpool. In addition to Trent Alexander-Arnold, one or more forwards may also leave Anfield according to reports. I know Federico Chiesa hasn't been involved regularly, but if they have the option to keep him, they should in my opinion. He has just been unlucky. I mean, how do you get into that front three? Liverpool did not have many injuries this season but that could change next year. Salah will also be away for the Africa Cup of Nations next season, so it makes sense for them to keep Chiesa at the club. Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur.”

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