Chris Sutton and Paul Merson make Crystal Palace, Fulham and West Ham predictions as 'work to do' claim made

The Premier League’s second weekend kicks off on Saturday and all of the London sides are in action across Saturday and Sunday. Two of them will go up against each other in Crystal Palace and West Ham, with both teams suffering defeat in their respective openers last weekend.

Elsewhere, Fulham will look to get over their defeat to Manchester United against Leicester City, while Brentford face a huge task, taking on Liverpool in their opener. Ahead of those four clashes, we have rounded up Paul Merson’s SportsKeeda predictions and Chris Sutton’s BBC Sport predictions.

Crystal Palace vs West Ham

Paul Merson: “Let's face it, both Crystal Palace and West Ham were disappointing in their respective opening games. The Hammers signed all these new attacking players and they didn't use any of them from the start. I was quite baffled by that decision. They also gave Aston Villa a huge head start in the game with that early goal.

“It doesn't matter how many talented players you sign, unless you actually put them on the pitch from the start. Bit of work to do for West Ham now, head coach Julen Lopetegui must find his best XI quickly.

“You could argue Palace were unlucky with Eberechi Eze's disallowed goal against Brentford. But my main concern is that they could weaken further before the end of the transfer window. If you keep losing games to teams expected to be around you in the table, you are staring down at the possibility of a relegation scrap. When you've got a player like Eze, you still have that X-factor though. And they must try to keep him for at least another season. I feel the Eagles will do just enough to nick a win here. Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-0 West Ham.”

Chris Sutton: “Crystal Palace played very well against Brentford and ended up losing. It is a totally different Palace under Oliver Glasner, but Joachim Andersen has left for Fulham and will be a big loss for them. It is a new dawn for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham and he will want to get his first win under the belt. Prediction: 2-2.”

Fulham vs Leicester City

Paul Merson: “I thought Fulham were quite decent the other day against Manchester United and I'm backing them to beat Leicester. I'm not entirely buying into Leicester despite that draw against Tottenham because their first half display was embarrassing.

“Credit to Jamie Vardy though. If I'm being honest, I saw the first half and I was like, 'you need to retire mate'. But he proved me wrong with the goal and could have scored another one in that match. It's amazing what he does at this age. Despite all of that, I don't see Leicester troubling Fulham too much in this clash. I'm backing Marco Silva's men to secure a comfortable win on home turf. Prediction: Fulham 2-0 Leicester City.”

Chris Sutton: “Fulham were competitive against Manchester United last week and probably felt hard done by they didn't come away with a point. Leicester got absolutely trounced in the first half against Tottenham. But in fairness, they were resilient, got the goal and carried a threat.

“It was great to see Jamie Vardy back in the Premier League and getting a goal from Leicester's perspective, too. But I think Fulham at home, this will be a 2-0 win. Prediction: 2-0.”

Liverpool vs Brentford

Paul Merson: “Liverpool played some mind-blowing football the other day against Ipswich Town. Arne Slot has yet to sign a new midfielder and I know they can get dominated in that area when they go to places like Manchester City and Arsenal. That's when I maybe worry about Liverpool a little bit.

“But they will be fine against the smaller teams and I don't think they'll face any trouble whatsoever against Brentford. Both Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota found the back of the net in the opening game. What I love about Liverpool is that they always have goals in them.

“They still have Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, who enjoyed a brilliant Euro 2024. I definitely think they'll be up there alongside Manchester City and Arsenal in the title race. When I compare them with Arsenal, I don't think Martinelli will score 15 league goals this term and I think it would be great if Leandro Trossard can get at least 10 goals. But that's not a problem with Liverpool, I think the Reds' front five will score more than Arsenal in my opinion. I'm backing Liverpool to secure a comfortable win here. Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Brentford.”

Chris Sutton: “Brentford have got a goal in them and Ivan Toney is back in training. There is talk of him going to Saudi Arabia, what a tragedy that would be at his age - he has plenty of time left to do that.

“It was a really good win for Arne Slot's Liverpool at Ipswich, they had to work for it and he showed his ruthless side taking defender Jarell Quansah off at half-time and putting Ibrahima Konate on. Mo Salah looked good, he is ripped and looks fitter than ever. I think Liverpool's attack will be too strong for the Brentford backline but Brentford have a goal in them and I really like Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo. Prediction: 3-1.”