and was already seated for the post-qualifying news conference

The Premier League title race approaches a potentially defining weekend, and Sky Sports Paul Merson looks ahead to the mouth-watering round of fixtures which sees the current top four face off on Super Sunday. Up first, leaders Leicester travel to the Emirates Stadium looking to continue their remarkable rise against an Arsenal side hoping to keep their hopes of a first title in 12 years alive.Aston Villa then look to boost their unlikely bid for survival against Liverpool before the title race takes centre stage once again as second-placed Spurs travel to Manchester City. Last weeks predictions Result Merses prediction Man City 1-3 Leicester 3-1 Aston Villa 2-0 Norwich 1-1 Liverpool 2-2 Sunderland 2-1 Newcastle 1-0 West Brom 2-1 Stoke 0-3 Everton 2-2 Swansea 1-1 Crystal Palace 1-1 Tottenham 1-0 Watford 3-1 Soton 1-0 West Ham 2-2 Bmouth 0-2 Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd 3-2 It proved to be another tough round of predictions last time out with the Magic Man managing just one correct score and two correct results. Scroll on to see how who Merson is tipping this week…Arsenal v Leicester - 12pm, Super Sunday Can Leicester slaughter Arsenal as they did Man City last weekend? Arsenal have to win this game for me but they are set up perfectly for Leicester, exactly the same as Man City were last week. Arsenal will have loads of the ball and then bang, Leicester will hit them on the counter. Leicester absolutely slaughtered City so Arsenal have got to be careful. They are nowhere near as good a team as Arsenal but they play a certain way which can majorly hurt them. This game will come down to how the first 25 minutes pans out. If Arsenal score early I fancy them to run away with it but if they dont I fancy Leicester. Arsenal will continue to bomb forward for a goal and that plays right into the hands of the leagues best counter attacking side. However, having said that, Arsenals class should prevail, but it wouldnt shock me one iota if Leicester won.PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 7/1)Man City v Tottenham - 4.15pm, Super Sunday The Magic Man tips Harry Kane to open to scoring at the Etihad Stadium If Im being honest, I dont see Spurs winning this game. They havent got pace on the counter like Leicester have so Im unsure how theyll hurt Man City. I dont see them losing the game though, theyll get a draw which is still a great result ahead of a favourable home game against Palace next week. Spurs have conceded 10 goals in their last two trips to the Etihad but this Tottenham team is a completely different animal under Mauricio Pochettino, this is one of the best sides theyve had in years. Man City will no doubt cause Spurs problems too but I dont see either side running away with a game which is relatively well matched.PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 11/2)Aston Villa v Liverpool - 2.05pm, Super Sunday Villa backed to catch Liverpool off guard on Super Sunday This game is all about timing and this is perfect time for Aston Villa to be facing Liverpool. Jurgen Klopps team have just been beaten over 120 minutes in the FA Cup and theyve got the Europa League coming up on Thursday - for me their only chance of qualifying for the Champions League. Liverpool have to put all their eggs into one basket with the Europa League so I see Villa winning on Sunday. If Villa can win this game, and reduce the gap to five or six points, then suddenly theyre back in with a slim chance of staying up. Liverpool have been poor when defending set plays and that is where Villa look a threat, I fancy Joleon Lescott to bag the winner.PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0 (Sky Bet odds 9/1)Chelsea v Newcastle - 5.30pm, Saturday Night Football Chelsea tipped to continue their revival under Hiddink against Newcastle Newcastle played really last week against West Brom and could have won by four or five. But, in the end, it was only 1-0 and West Brom had a chance to equalise late on, so its worrying they didnt put the game to bed. Chelsea are a different side now the players want to have a go, they have really picked up under Guus Hiddink. Ive got to take Newcastles dismal showing at Everton last week into consideration though, so Im backing Chelsea here. Newcastles away form has a greater influence than their impressive home performances.PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (Sky Bet odds 9/1)Sunderland v Man Utd - 12.45pm, Saturday Merson tips Wayne Rooney to fire United to victory at the Stadium of Light Manchester United have turned the corner, Ive been impressed. They looked really good at Chelsea and thoroughly deserved a draw at least. Sunderland, meanwhile, will have felt they did well against Man City, despite losing, and then they got a lucky draw at Liverpool if Im being honest. We will have to see whether the speculation surrounding Louis van Gaals future affects United but they seem to have turned the corner and I expect them to win at the Stadium of Light.PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds 15/2)Bournemouth v Stoke - 3pm, Saturday Bournemouth will be hoping to convert their impressive displays into victory when Stoke visit the Vitality Ive watched Stoke a couple of times recently and theyve gone! Theyve lost their last two games 3-0, teams at the bottom of League Two dont even do that - that is some going. I thought Bournemouth showed Arsenal too much respect in the first half on Sunday but they did improve after the break. I fancy them to win here as long as they put in a similar display as they did against the Gunners.PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Most popular Super 6 prediction: 2-1) Play Super 6! Think you can do better than Merse? Take him on at Super 6 for free here. Crystal Palace v Watford - 3pm, Saturday Can Palace end an eight-game wait for a Premier League victory? Im covering this game for Soccer Saturday and I fancy there to be goals. Despite drawing at Swansea last time out, Palace have got to start winning games to stop the rot. Neither side are in particularly good form if Im being honest and theyre both probably cup teams now, being a win or two away from all-but securing their Premier League status for next season. Watfords front two will be exciting as always and Palace always have a go wherever they play so I predict a Desmond.PAUL PREDICTS: 2-2 (Most popular Super 6 prediction: 1-1)Everton v West Brom - 3pm, Saturday Outstanding Everton will have too much for a West Brom side looking over their shoulders This is one of my bankers of the weekend. West Brom played 120 minutes at Peterborough where they struggled in fairness. Tony Pulis has got to decide whether to play Saido Berahino or not, they need to start scoring goals and he is their only viable option. Albion need results fast to avoid being further sucked into a fight for survival. Take on Merse Think you know better than Merse? Take him on at Super 6 for the chance to win ￡250,000 here. Everton, meanwhile, have won their last three games 3-0, theyve tightened things up at the back and going forward they are very, very good. Stoke havent received a hiding at home like the one Everton dished out in many a day, they were unbelievable and it would have been six or seven had it not been for Jack Butland. I fancy Everton to make it four 3-0 wins on the spinPAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (Most popular Super 6 prediction: 2-0)Norwich v West Ham - 3pm, Saturday Will other competitions hinder West Hams chances at Norwich? This game is another prime example of how the timing of football matches can affect the outcome. Norwich will have looked at the fixtures and probably wouldnt have fancied themselves against a West Ham side that has been flying this season.However, when you consider the Hammers played 120 minutes in midweek, have an eye on the next round of the cup and probably cant qualify for the top four, then this the best time ever to play them. West Ham have got a great chance to win the FA Cup and have bigger fish to fry so I fancy Norwich to nick a vital win.PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Most popular Super 6 prediction: 1-2)Swansea v Southampton - 3pm, Saturday Can Southampton keep a fifth consecutive clean sheet? Southampton have really turned the corner. For Fraser Forster to do what hes done and keep five clean sheets is some going in a league where so many chances are created. You have to ride your luck to keep clean sheets in this league but take nothing away from Southampton - their dogged display against West Ham with 10 men was brilliant. I dont see Swansea scoring if Im being honest, theyve been so uncertain at the back I just see Saints winning.PAUL PREDICTS: 0-1 (Most popular Super 6 prediction: 1-2)Think you know better than Merse? Take him on at Super 6 for the chance to win £250,000! Also See: Premier League build-up LIVE! Premier League questions Table Live on Sky Get Sky Sports Jim Kelly Youth Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Ed Oliver Womens Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Zay-Jones-Bills-Jersey/ . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Devin Singletary Womens Jersey . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Dawson Knox Youth Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.INDIANAPOLIS -- The Rocket Man got his fuel back. Finally. Ryan Newman snatched the pole away from Jimmie Johnson with a blistering lap of 187.531 mph around Indianapolis Motor Speedway to set a track record for NASCAR races at the Brickyard. Newman was the last of the 45 drivers to make a qualifying attempt Saturday as Johnsons No. 48 was atop the scoring tower for well over an hour with a lap of 187.438. Driver after driver had failed to knock Johnson from the pole, and the four-time Brickyard winner watched and waited to see if Newman could get the job done. Newman, an Indiana native, pulled it off as Johnson smiled his approval. "You cant count Ryan out, and he put up a whale of a lap," Johnson said. Added team co-owner Tony Stewart, "They dont call him Rocket Man for no reason. He had an awesome lap." Its the 50th pole for Newman, who established himself as an elite qualifier with six poles his rookie season. He set a NASCAR record with 11 poles in 2003, and won at least one pole a year for 11 seasons. But hed been in a drought of late, and Newmans last pole was late in the 2011 season. "I just am ecstatic. Its awesome because its my 50th. Its awesome because its Indy, and its a track record on top of that, so its like a double triple bonus," Newman said. The normally stoic Newman admitted he got emotional on the backstretch of his cool-down lap. "Its more special to me because its the Brickyard, because its Indy, because of the history of auto racing at this facility," he said. "So many drivers who are my heroes, so many drivers Ive admired, so many drivers that have worked so hard in their career to get to here on this day, to be the fastest one, thats whats the most special to me." The drought on poles had weighed on Newman over the last year. "Its been bothering me for a long time," he said. "I feel like Im a driver that can still hit his marks each and every lap and put it all together, and we didnt win a pole last year.dddddddddddd. We were close at times." The 50th pole of his career is good enough for ninth on the career list, and it comes at a critical time for Newman. Stewart told Newman hes not being re-signed for next season two weeks ago, and Newman is currently looking for a job for 2014. "No hard feelings. They made a move, and that move makes me move, and theres no hard feelings," Newman said. "I dont know what Im going to do. Obviously this is a good step in publicity for me on the positive side, so well see what we can do tomorrow." Carl Edwards qualified third at 187.157, and was already seated for the post-qualifying news conference when he watched on television as Newman knocked Johnson and Edwards down a notch. "I felt really good -- second is the worst," Edwards said about qualifying third. "Its the worst to qualify second, and nobody wants anybody to go through what Jimmie just had to go through. We all dont feel too bad for Jimmie, but that was pretty dramatic. I didnt really expect that." Johnson, who on Sunday will try to win his fifth Brickyard and tie Formula Ones Michael Schumacher as the winningest driver at Indy, said his lap wasnt perfect. "I did miss Turn 2 a little bit on my turning point, and felt like I made that mistake," Johnson said. "But Ryan hit all four corners great and got it done. Happy for him. Its got to be a big day for him, being a hometown boy and all. Very happy for Ryan and very happy for our team." Denny Hamlin qualified fourth and was followed by Stewart, a two-time Indy winner, as Stewart-Haas Racing has two cars starting in the top five. Kurt Busch was sixth and followed by Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, four-time Indy winner Jeff Gordon and Marcos Ambrose. ' ' '