Paul Merson is anticipating an evenly contested north London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea (Picture: Sky Sports)
Paul Merson is anticipating a tight affair when Arsenal travel to Stamford Bridge for a crucial London derby against Chelsea on Saturday night.
Mikel Arteta’s side are currently joint top of the Premier League and will arrive in confident mood after finally ending their long wait for a victory over title rivals Manchester City prior to the international break.
The Gunners have won their last three games at Chelsea and with William Saliba and Bukayo Saka both in contention to feature, they will be well placed to chalk up another three points.
After a slow start to life under Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues began to pick up momentum earlier this month with a 4-1 win over Burnley underlining the progress they appear to be making under their new manager.
Arsenal’s more settled team may give Arsenal the upper-hand according to Merson but he would not be surprised to see the game ending in an entertaining score draw.
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He told Sportskeeda: ‘This is a huge day for both teams. Arsenal pulled off a massive result against Man City. Chelsea have won their last three matches in the Premier League, and I don’t think that they would’ve wanted the international break this month.
‘Chelsea haven’t been great at home, but they are dangerous when they click as a unit. Arsenal’s biggest strength is their midfield three.
‘With Chelsea, you don’t know what the team is going to be, but I know what their midfield looks like – Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Conor Gallagher. I expect Sterling to play on the right because he can cause Zinchenko problems.
‘The only problem for Chelsea is that Arsenal are a polished team. Chelsea are just starting out, and that’s a big disadvantage for them this weekend.
‘Arsenal are a settled unit and they know exactly what they’re doing. Chelsea are a hard team to predict – against teams that come out and play, they can be a major threat. The best game Chelsea have played at home this season was against Liverpool.
‘Chelsea had built up some good momentum before the international break, and a lot depends on how they come back from the break. I’m going to go with a draw here, but if you asked me to get off the fence, I’d pick Arsenal to have the upper hand.’
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The Gunners are looking for a fourth straight win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.