Paul Merson makes big Manchester City prediction after Arsenal draw

Paul Merson has said on Sky Sports News (5:18pm, February 11, 2023) that Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will not be able to win the Premier League title this season if they lose to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City next week.

Arsenal have played out a 1-1 draw with Brentford at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The result in the London derby means that the Gunners remained atop the league table for most of this season but have now dropped five points in their last two matches.

With a game in hand, Mikel Arteta’s side sits six points above the champions before the latter plays and both title challengers will face each other in Arsenal’s next match.

Former Arsenal star Merson believes that if City win against Villa and then against the Gunners, then they will go on to win the league title.

” If Manchester City go and win the game, I don’t see Arsenal coming back from there,” Merson said.

Arsenal got away with it last weekend, and have to pray they will do so again now. Manchester City failed to capitalise on Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Everton last week as they lost at Tottenham but City have another chance to cut the gap at the top of the table after the Gunners dropped more points on Saturday.

City will host Villa on Sunday knowing victory will take them within three points of Arsenal, albeit having played a game more. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be comforted by the cushion his team still enjoy, but questions about their durability in lasting the distance will only grow if they continue to allow their lead to erode like this.

Including the FA Cup defeat at City, Arsenal have now failed to win their last three matches. That hardly constitutes a crisis but the pressure is palpably building.