Arsenal icon Paul Merson plays mind games with Liverpool and Man City

Paul Merson has heaped the pressure on Arsenal’s title rivals (Picture: Sky Sports)

Arsenal icon Paul Merson has appeared to play mind games with Liverpool and Manchester City as his old club fight them for the Premier League title.

Merson has heaped the pressure on Jurgen Klopp’s side as well as Pep Guardiola’s men – who face Everton and Brighton on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

He has warned Liverpool that the Merseyside derby is a ‘must-win’ game and that Goodison Park will be ‘absolutely bouncing’ at the idea of ending their title hopes.

Merson has also told City that they cannot afford to drop a single point if they are to stop Arsenal and boldly claimed teams have worked out how to stop Rodri.

Asked to make a prediction for Everton’s clash against Liverpool, Merson told Sportskeeda: ‘Everton got hammered by Chelsea but turned it around with a crucial win against Nottingham Forest, fair play to them.

‘This is a must-win game for Liverpool to stay in the Premier League title race and the Toffees will make it hard for them in the local derby.

‘Goodison Park will be absolutely bouncing at the thought of ending Liverpool’s title hopes, but I think the Reds will just edge it.

‘As they showed against Fulham, the cream always rises to the top, which is likely to be the case again this week.

‘Liverpool have more matchwinners on their side, which is why I’m going for an away win.

‘Jurgen Klopp made a lot of changes to his starting XI last weekend, but I think the likes of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez could return to the side for this one. Everton 1-2 Liverpool.’

Paul Merson has tipped Man City to win 3-1 at Brighton (Picture: Getty)

Focusing on City’s game against Brighton on the south coast, Merson added: ‘If Arsenal win their next two games, Man City need to be perfect between now and the end of the season to be crowned champions.

‘If [Arsenal] win [against Chelsea on Tuesday] – and I think they will – there will be massive pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side to win their games in hand.

‘By the time Man City play, they could be four points behind Arsenal and Liverpool, so they will be under immense pressure.

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‘In my opinion, City have to be careful as they are a bit knackered after a bunch of grueling games across all competitions.

‘Teams are also starting to get around Rodri a little bit, but I doubt Brighton will cause them too many problems.

‘They are not the team they were last season and are very much a middle-of-the-table team this time around, so I think Man City will get the job done. Brighton 1-3 Man City.’

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