Arsenal hold a seven-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City heading into this weekend’s match, and have a chance to build on their lead against Everton.
Paul Merson is confident in Arsenal’s chances (Image: Stick to Football podcast)
Paul Merson believes the Premier League title race will take a decisive turn in Arsenal’s favor this weekend. The Gunners head into the weekend with a seven-point lead over Manchester City, but they cannot afford to slip up in their preparations.
Mikel Arteta’s side defeated Mansfield to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals and drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League before turning their attention back to the league and facing Everton at home. Arsenal are still in contention for the quadruple crown, but their primary goal is to win their first Premier League title in 22 years.
After a period of uncertainty, they won their last three games in the league and re-established their dominance. It was a big help that City drew 2-2 with relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest in their last game. City followed that up with a 3-0 defeat at Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and will need to fight back when they travel to West Ham on Saturday night.
Former Arsenal star Melson is confident of his chances at his old club after a string of effective performances in the league. “Everton are an interesting team, they play good football away and are often difficult to beat on the road,” he told Sportskeeda. “It’s crazy that they get torn to shreds sometimes in games and still get results!
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“Arsenal haven’t been very good in recent weeks. God, they were lucky to draw with Bayer Leverkusen. They don’t play free football. I expect Arsenal at the Emirates to be too good for Leverkusen, but I’m still a bit worried about them at the moment. If it had been a draw in the league they would have been in trouble.”
“This is going to be a tough game for Arsenal. My only problem with Everton is that they won the game but didn’t perform properly for 90 minutes. They’re only playing well in parts. If they lose their form against Arsenal for 30 or 45 minutes, the game is over! I expect it to be a close game, but I think Arsenal will come out on top 2-1.”
City will face a West Ham side looking to lift themselves out of the relegation zone, but Melson believes they can pull off an upset. “It was a really tough game for Manchester City after the loss against Real Madrid,” he said.
Kai Havertz scores a late equalizer for Arsenal against Bayer Leverkusen (Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
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“It was an unbelievable result. I watch Real Madrid a lot and I’m a big fan of them, but to be honest, I didn’t expect this result!”
“If City don’t beat West Ham this weekend and Arsenal beat Everton, the title race is over! So it’s a big week for City. If things don’t go well, they could be knocked out of all competitions except the FA Cup within 10 days. As I said, that loss against Real Madrid would have taken away their sustenance. It takes away their confidence.”
“I don’t expect City to bounce back this weekend. A draw here would end any hope of catching Arsenal in the title race and I’m aiming for 2-2.”
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