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Sunderland travel to Liverpool on Wednesday night for a Premier League showdown
The Black Cats travel to Merseyside off the back of a stunning comeback victory against Bournemouth at the weekend, battling from two goals down to secure a 3-2 win at the Stadium of Light.
For their part, Liverpool found some respite from a dire run of form that had seen them win just three of their previous 12 outings, beating West Ham 2-0 at the London Stadium. Record signing Alexander Isak registered his first Premier League goal for the club in that contest.
And both Merson and Sutton are of the opinion that Arne Slot’s under-fire side will kick on again with another three points against the Black Cats in mid-week.
What did Paul Merson say about Liverpool vs Sunderland?
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson forecast a 2-1 Liverpool victory, stating: “Sunderland produced an incredible performance against a really good Bournemouth team last weekend. But I'm going to back Liverpool for the win here simply because they are Liverpool. Alexander Isak will be relieved after scoring his first goal during the win over West Ham last time out. Even though I think Liverpool will win, they won't have it easy. It will be a tough game.
“I'd be shocked if Arne Slot decides to bring Mohamed Salah back into the Liverpool team for this game. That isn't the right thing to do. He was dropped for a reason and Liverpool won. Salah needs to be on the bench to get back to his best. You can't keep picking players based on how good they were in the past. Slot made the right decision to drop Salah in the last game and he should stick to it. There is no way Liverpool are finishing outside the top four this season. I expect them to win this game and secure three more points.”
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What did Chris Sutton say about Liverpool vs Sunderland?
For his part, Sutton also predicted a 2-1 home win, telling BBC Sport: “I got Liverpool wrong at the weekend because I thought they would lose at West Ham. Instead of Mo Salah, it was a case of 'No Salah' after he was left out for their 2-0 win. I didn't mind seeing that, because Salah is no different from any other player - if he is not performing, you drop him.
“I was wrong about Sunderland too, but that won't surprise anyone. We are at the stage where I am thinking should I do Black Cats fans a favour by tipping them to lose again here, because we know what happens when I do that - they win.
“I actually think they will give a good account of themselves at Anfield and it would not surprise me at all to see them going there and winning - I really mean that, too, because we've all seen how capable Regis Le Bris' side are. I am still going to go with Liverpool though. I don't think they can be as bad as they were in their last two home games, against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.”
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