‘Upper hand’ – Paul Merson shares his Arsenal v Spurs score prediction

Paul Merson has shared his score prediction ahead of tomorrow’s north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Antonio Conte’s men make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium following the international break looking to overtake their rivals at the top of of the table and maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign.

The former Gunners midfielder believes his old employers will secure the bragging rights and claimed the form which Mikel Arteta’s team are in will prove to be too much of an ask for Spurs.

Tottenham have won only two of their past 37 league fixtures away to Arsenal (D14, L21), with those victories coming in 1993 and 2010.

Merson told SportsKeeda: “This is a game that never lets you down. There are certain other games in the Premier League calendar where we build them up and they disappoint, but that is never the case with this fixture.

“The way they’re playing at the moment, I don’t see Tottenham being able to beat Arsenal. They did defeat Leicester by a 6-2 margin the other day, but the scoreline flattered them in my opinion. Son Heung-Min hasn’t done well when he’s started games so far this season, and Antonio Conte might use him as an impact player to turn to on the bench.

“Are Arsenal title contenders? I’ll be able to answer that question after they play Liverpool next week. There’s no point in winning one big game and losing the next one. Arsenal lost to Manchester United and they now have two big games which they need to win.

“I was quite shocked that Ben White didn’t make it to the England squad. He can play in three different positions, and that could help Gareth Southgate. When White plays at right-back for Arsenal, it allows Tierney to bomb forward and they effectively play with a back three. It has worked well for Mikel Arteta so far, and there’s no reason to change that.

“With Manchester City in the title race, both these teams should realistically aim for a top-four finish. Arsenal absolutely dismantled Brentford in their previous game, and their home advantage gives them the upper hand in this match.

“Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur.”

SpursWeb Opinion

Merson was always going to back Arsenal to beat Tottenham given his allegiance to the Woolwich, Spurs will be looking to finally end their poor run of form on their turf and prove to everyone that under Antonio Conte they mean business.

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