Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has made his predictions for the teams that will finish in the top four in the Premier League this season.
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Merson was speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, and revealed his belief that Manchester City will beat out Arsenal to the title come May.
While that would seem to make sense given that the two clubs are currently locked level at the top of the Premier League table after an impressive start to the campaign, his choices to complete the top four will undoubtedly have raised some eyebrows.
The former Arsenal ace doesn’t believe that either Manchester United or Liverpool will be able to qualify for the Champions League, and has instead picked Tottenham and Chelsea to join City and the Gunners in Europe’s premier competition next season.
Spurs remain just three points adrift of United and are unbeaten in the league since losing at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season.
Naturally, Mauricio Pochettino’s men can be considered as a legitimate threat to break into the top four this year, but Chelsea are a surprising choice given their struggles so far this season.
Jose Mourinho’s men remain in 16th place after 12 games, having collected just 11 points while they have already lost seven games.
That has left them 13 points behind United in fourth place, and although there is a long way to go in the season, it is unclear as to how they can successfully make up that ground as they will have to rely on Louis van Gaal’s men suffering plenty of disappointments.
Perhaps more concerning for the reigning champions is the fact that they haven’t been able to overcome their struggles. Last weekend’s loss to Stoke City would have been another blow, but they will hope to put that behind them after the international break when they face Norwich City looking to bounce back.
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