Paul Merson’s former club Arsenal visit Chelsea on Sunday (Pictures: Getty)
Paul Merson has made his prediction for the ‘massive’ Premier League clash between Chelsea and Arsenal this weekend.
Leaders Arsenal travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday looking to not only get one over their London rivals but also maintain their top-point gap over defending champions Manchester City.
After a brilliant start to the season, Arsenal suffered a slight wobble last month as they dropped points against Southampton and lost to PSV in the Europa League.
But Mikel Arteta’s side looked back to their brilliant best last weekend as they thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are going through their first sticky period under Graham Potter, only picking up two points from their last three league games.
The Blues, who are currently 10 points behind Arsenal, suffered a shock 4-1 defeat to Potter’s former club Brighton at the weekend.
‘This is a massive game for both teams, for different reasons,’ Merson wrote in a column for Sportskeeda.
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‘If Arsenal win, they will go 13 points clear of Chelsea. Let’s be realistic now – Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea aren’t talking about winning the Premier League title. The title race is over for them, and they’re looking for a top-four finish.
‘If Arsenal win this game, they’d have to lose five football matches for Chelsea to catch them, and that’s if Chelsea don’t lose themselves.
‘This is a big game for Arsenal, and they’ll need to avoid defeat. They need to make sure they’re not flat-track bullies.
‘If Arsenal don’t lose this match, you’d expect them to be in the running for the Premier League title for a long time.
‘I’m not sure who’s going to play for Chelsea this week. We all know what Arsenal team is going to play, and that’s why they’re at the top of the Premier League table.
‘They’re playing the same team every week, and it’s working a treat – fair play to Arteta. Arsenal need a big squad and it does look like they’ll go deep into multiple competitions.
‘They’re at the top of the Premier League table, and they’re doing well in the Europa League. Arsenal need to keep players like Kieran Tierney in their squad.
‘Raheem Sterling is not a wing-back. It’s a really hard position to play in, and you can’t just put anybody there. Graham Potter got it horribly wrong last week.
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‘Great wing-backs don’t get the credit they deserve – they take one full side of the pitch and they’ve got to go up and down. Raheem Sterling is as much of a wing-back as I am a goalkeeper.
‘Arsenal are flying in the Premier League at the moment, and they don’t need the World Cup rest. They’re on a roll and they were outstanding against Forest.
‘I think this match will end in a 1-1 draw, and that’ll be a good result for Arsenal.’
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‘This is a massive game for both teams, for different reasons.’
