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Manchester City fans will love the latest prophecy made by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson in his latest batch of weekly Premier League predictions.

What's he said, then?

The bold statement concerned Pep Guardiola's men's home clash with Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, in which a win would see them keep pace with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

Victory for Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs would mean something different, three points that would cement their place in the top four and proof that knocking the Citizens out of the UEFA Champions League last Wednesday evening was no fluke.

Here's what Merson said about the big match, predicting a 3-0 win for Blue Moon:

"I can't see anything other than a Man City win. Spurs don't have the biggest squad in the world and the other night will have taken a lot out of them. I think both teams changing things up will still result in a City win. It is not a matter of revenge. It is a strange one because if you would have asked them last week City would rather have won the Champions League and Liverpool the league. Now it could be the other way around.

"Tottenham could easily rest players for this game and then just make sure they beat Brighton. With their injuries, they need to start prioritising their games now, and look at what games they will win and which they are less likely to win. It is not every day they get to a Champions League semi-final. They will rest players after such a quick turnaround."

Right with the result, wrong with the scoreline

Whilst it's right to assume that lightning won't strike twice and normal business will resume with City taking the three points and another step towards back-to-back Premier Leagues - the actual scoreline prediction is wrong.

The idea that the two teams could be so evenly-matched in two matches in the last week-and-a-half and then worlds apart just days later is a ludicrous one, even in the crazy realm of modern football.

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The Citizens will get the job done but it will be much tighter than the outspoken Merson has suggested, the determination for Champions League revenge will give Guardiola's men that much-needed edge but not by that much.