Paul Merson makes Man City vs Arsenal prediction and Premier League title claim

Paul Merson has revealed his prediction for this weekend’s potential Premier League title decider between Manchester City and Arsenal.

The Gunners boast a six-point lead at the top of the table ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

A victory or even a draw for Mikel Arteta’s side would surely ensure Arsenal become Premier League champions for the first time since 2004.

It looked as though Arsenal would cruise to that long-awaited title and potentially even win a quadruple just a matter of weeks ago but one win in five has raised fears of a capitulation at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal fell short in the domestic cup competitions either side of the recent international break, first losing to Man City in the Carabao Cup final and then suffering a shock FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Southampton.

The Gunners then lost at home to Bournemouth to give chasing City major hope in the title race, although Arteta’s side did at least advance in the Champions League courtesy of a narrow 1-0 quarter-final win over Sporting.

Manchester City were knocked out of Europe by Real Madrid before the international break and also dropped points in successive league games against relegation-battlers Nottingham Forest and West Ham.

Pep Guardiola’s team have looked ominously strong since then, however, outclassing Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final before thrashing defending Premier League champions Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup.

Man City’s momentum continued at the weekend as they beat Chelsea 3-0 ahead of Sunday’s monumental clash against Arsenal.

Merson says it is ‘extremely hard’ to ‘make a case’ for Arsenal and admits he now believes Manchester City will clinch a narrow win on their way to reclaiming the Premier League title.

‘Manchester City are the favourites to win the Premier League if they beat Arsenal on Sunday, 100 per cent,’ he told Sportskeeda. ‘It’s in their hands now because Arsenal did not play well at all against Bournemouth.

‘If City win on Sunday, they will beat Burnley next week and before you know it, they are at the top of the table with five games to go.

‘The way Arsenal are playing now, I can’t seem them winning all their remaining games, should they lose to City.

‘It’s just unbelievable how it has all turned around. Absolutely mind-blowing to say the least! You just look at it and go, “wow”.

‘In hindsight, you can’t see anything but a Manchester City win. I saw Arsenal in the first 15 minutes against Sporting in the Champions League and told my boy it would be 0-0. You just can’t see them scoring!

‘Defensively, Arsenal are solid. If they don’t lose this game, they win the league. For City though, a draw is no good. They must win.

‘I can’t see Arsenal winning all their remaining games if they lose to City on Sunday. It’s hard to watch Arsenal at the moment.

‘But the players need to look at the bright side of it. If they beat City, the league is done and they win it. That is how they must think about this game.

‘If Arsenal go to the Etihad, sit behind the ball, absorb all the pressure and try to play for a draw, they will get destroyed by City!

‘Even if they have a go and lose the game, it at least gives them confidence. Imagine if they sit behind the ball and lose 1-0? I don’t think it does any good for their confidence.

‘Mikel Arteta is the only person who can tell if he’s asking these players to play in a certain way or are they actually going into their shells due to the pressure.

‘Apart from Declan Rice, I don’t see anyone else being expressive on the pitch. There is no pace in that team, no urgency, no desire to get inside the box. They look nervous and what a bad time to be that way.

‘I don’t know what Arsenal turn up for this game. They need to take the game to City here. I’m desperately trying to make a case for Arsenal, but I’m finding it extremely hard to do so.

‘My heart says draw, but my head says Manchester City win. Football is so unpredictable and Arsenal will be hoping this game goes in their favour against all odds. But the way they’ve been playing is a big concern.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.