Paul Merson Offers His Prediction Ahead Of Chelsea’s Clash With Man City

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has offered his predicted score ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Manchester City on Saturday evening.

The Blues welcome City to Stamford Bridge this weekend with little left to play for as last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Swansea left them sitting 13 points adrift of the top four, ending any slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

However, interim boss Guus Hiddink has urged his players to use the remaining games as preparation for next season and to make a positive impression on in-coming manager Antonio Conte.

City arrive in the capital after securing their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League in midweek and it’s going to be difficult for Manuel Pellegrini’s side to put the upcoming double-header against Real Madrid to the back of their minds.

The problem is, City could be just one point clear of fifth-placed Man Utd come kick off tomorrow so they’ll be desperate to get a positive result and boost their chances of finishing in the top four this season.

Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Merson says that while this is a huge game for the visitors, he can see Chelsea winning to blow the top four race wide open:

The gap between Manchester City in fourth and Manchester United in fifth is just four points and I fully expect Louis van Gaal’s side to close the gap by the time kick-off comes around at Stamford Bridge. It’s a massive game for City.

They had a brilliant result in midweek and you have to hand it to them after they reached the Champions League semi-finals, but they cannot take their eye off the ball against Chelsea. It’s still a huge ask to win the Champions League so the league is crucial. However, I think Chelsea will win this and blow the top four wide open.

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1

We’ll have to wait and see whether Merson’s prediction proves accurate but a Chelsea win would really make things interesting as Man Utd are almost certainly going to close the gap with a win at home over Aston Villa tomorrow afternoon.