Former striker turned pundit Paul Merson has said he would be surprised if Arsenal I can't beat Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners have enjoyed a stellar campaign this season, but after some disappointing results, which saw Mikel ArtetaThe team is eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich, Arsenal's impressive season was in danger of being derailed.
However, after impressive back-to-back wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea in it first divisionArsenal have steadied the ship ahead of the north London derby.
Mikel Arteta's side are currently at the top of the table with 77 points from 34 games, just one point ahead of city of manchester having played an extra game. Liverpool He is currently third and after his defeat against Everton Midweek, they have lost ground in the title race.
Arsenal will therefore have to beat their arch-rivals on Sunday to retain their title; However, history has shown that it is not easy to beat city rivals, especially when you are in the title race as Liverpool experienced in midweek.
Merson predicts Arsenal's victory
However, writing in sportskeedaMerson has said that Tottenham have not been able to show their best against the best teams this season, so it will be a big surprise if the Gunners fail to come away with three points from this match.
The expert further claims that Arsenal are a better football team than Spurs, so it is unlikely that the hosts will be able to get a positive result despite their home advantage.
Merson wrote:
“Tottenham have been magnificent at home this season, but if you look at their last ten results, they have faced nine bottom half teams! Manchester City were the only first half team they faced in that period and lost that game, so I don't see them getting anything out of this one.
“Arsenal are simply a better football team, so I am very optimistic about that. I would be surprised if the Gunners didn't win this game as Spurs can't beat Arsenal at their own game. When Arsenal lost Aston Villathey changed their team moving Kai Havertz in a midfield role to accommodate Gabriel Jesus, a measure that ultimately proved counterproductive. In recent weeks, they once again had Havertz in charge with Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in midfield – that's the team they should keep for the rest of the season! “Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal”
The match will kick off at 2pm UK time and it will be interesting to see how it ultimately plays out. However, Arsenal cannot afford to think about anything other than a victory to keep their hopes of winning the league title this season alive.
