Paul Merson and Chris Sutton make Crystal Palace, Fulham and West Ham predictions as 'too strong' claim made

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A look at the pundit predictions for the first weekend of Premier League action after the international break.

The Premier League is back this weekend, with the international breaks over and done with until March. There are some big games for the London clubs, with Crystal Palace and West Ham, in particular, needing to get their acts together.

Elsewhere, Brentford and Fulham will be looking to build on their starts to the season, both getting out of the blocks quickly. Here we round up this weekend’s predictions from BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton and SportsKeeda’s Paul Merson.

Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace

Chris Sutton

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“Aston Villa have lost four in a row in all competitions but Crystal Palace have even more cause for concern. Logic tells me that Villa will come good, because Unai Emery is a superb organiser of teams and we have already seen long spells of them at their best.

“Palace, however, need a drastic improvement on their performances this season because they have been pretty flat so far. Villa need to click again, but they are at home which will help. Palace's form is getting pretty desperate under Oliver Glasner, and I don't see that changing this week. Prediction: 2-1.”

Paul Merson

“Big game for both teams. Aston Villa have to get back to winning ways. Form-wise they have dropped off a bit and they must turn that around quickly. Villa are without a win in their last five games across all competitions, having lost four on the trot after the draw with Bournemouth.

“During this wretched run of form, Crystal Palace beat Villa in the EFL Cup round of 16 clash. But Palace are still in a bit of trouble in the league in my opinion. After this trip to Villa, they have some huge games coming up where they face Newcastle (H), Ipswich (A), Manchester City (H), Brighton (A) and Arsenal (A). That's a tough run.

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“I'm backing Villa to get back on track with a win here. They are ninth in the league now, if they don't win again, they will drift away from the big boys quickly. I know they are only one point away from third-place, but there are five teams in front of them. Their goal difference is zero, which is madness. Tottenham are actually behind Villa and Spurs' goal difference is +10!

“Goal difference acts as an extra point in this league, so Villa must be careful and work in improving it. They also have Juventus coming up in the Champions League and like I always say, they must not get caught up with that playing on their minds. It has to be one game at a time. Prediction: Aston Villa 2-0 Crystal Palace.”

Fulham vs Wolves

Chris Sutton

“Wolves got their first win of the season when they beat Southampton before the international break. Matheus Cunha has started scoring and, when I look at their squad, I do think they are good enough to stay up. I am not backing them here, however. Fulham are flying and regular readers will know I am a big fan of them when they play at home.

“Emile Smith Rowe has looked really bright since joining Marco Silva’s side and I am expecting more of the same from him, plus I would not be surprised if Fulham striker Raul Jimenez had a say against his former club. Prediction: 2-1.”

Paul Merson

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“Wolves got a massive result before the international break when they beat Southampton 2-0. But this is a really difficult game for them against Fulham. After this game at Craven Cottage, they face Bournemouth (H), Everton (A), West Ham United (A), Ipswich Town (H) and Leicester (A). Gary O'Neill has to look at those fixtures and believe they can put on a bit of a run. If Wolves are not six points clear of the relegation zone by the end of December, they will get relegated!

“Fulham are underrated in my opinion. Marco Silva is doing a great job there. Over the years, we have had teams like Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, who can upset big teams. Fulham are in that category now. They are expected to get some good results this season and cause problems along the way for the big boys in this league. I don't think Fulham will qualify for European football though. There are stronger teams than them that are competing for it and they could come up short. However, this game against Wolves shouldn't be a problem for them. Prediction: Fulham 2-0 Wolves.”

Everton vs Brentford

Chris Sutton

“Brentford are like Jekyll and Hyde, depending on where you play them. They have the best home record in the Premier League this season, but the second-worst away - they have lost five out of five on the road. Mind you, Everton's home form is hardly impressive either. This may be their final season at Goodison Park but they have only won one league game there so far.

“So, looking at form does not really help me much here and I am finding Sean Dyche’s side very difficult to predict anyway. I am going to play it safe and go for a draw, mainly because I think Brentford duo Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo are really talented players who always look like scoring, and the Bees always concede a few too. Brentford have scored 22 and conceded 22 in their 11 league games and I think they will add two more to both totals on Saturday. Prediction: 2-2.”

Paul Merson

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“Everton need to start winning football matches. It's becoming a bit of a five-horse race to avoid relegation now and I will not count Everton in that. But if they do what they did against Southampton a few weeks ago, they will be pulled back into that conversation!

“It's because of the way Everton play that I feel they will always somehow get out of trouble in the end. Make no mistake, this is a hard game for Everton and I don't think they will win. I look at this game and Brentford are a team that score a lot of goals, Everton don't. So I have to back Brentford to win here.

“Who needs a player in January? Bryan Mbeumo is a good choice. One thing that was missing from his game was goals, but now he has brought that to the table as well. It depends on who wants to sign him though. I don't see a mid-table club spending £40-50 million to get him in January. So it's a question of whether one of the big boys want him, I doubt that. He has to keep doing what he is doing for the rest of the season. If he does that, he will be bought by someone, one million per cent sure. Prediction: Everton 0-1 Brentford.”

Newcastle United vs West Ham United

Chris Sutton

“It feels to me like Southampton’s Russell Martin is the manager who is closest to the edge at the moment but West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui is probably not too far behind him. I was at this game last season, when Newcastle won 4-3 after being 3-1 down, and it was probably one of the results that meant Lopetegui’s predecessor, David Moyes, was not offered a new deal.

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“I think Hammers fans have been underwhelmed by what they’ve seen since Lopetegui arrived, because it is not working out under him. As I’ve said before, I don’t quite know what kind of team they are trying to be. I don’t see them getting any joy at St James' Park this time, either. Alexander Isak looked back to his best when Newcastle beat Forest last time out, and they should be too strong for West Ham too. Prediction: 2-1.”

Paul Merson

“Newcastle are starting to pick up pace now. They have won three in a row and sit just a point off third-place. I can see them winning this game. If they start this game well, they will run riot.

“West Ham got absolutely rinsed 3-0 by Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks back. I don't even know how they beat Manchester United! I worry for West Ham, but I still think they will give Julen Lopetegui a lot more time. If they weren't going to back him, they would have got rid of him after the draw with Everton before the international break.

“If you are counting on Lopetegui to turn it around against Newcastle here and Arsenal next, you are delusional! I don't think he will be there long-term, but he still has time. West Ham have a clash against Leicester coming up in two games' time (3 December), that's a cup final and if he does not win, he won't be in the job. I'd be shocked if West Ham get anything out of this game. It has Newcastle written all over it. I'm backing the hosts to slaughter West Ham and become a strong candidate in the race for top four. Prediction: Newcastle United 3-0 West Ham United.”

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