Paul Merson fears Arsenal will definitely lose to Man City if the current champions can put their strongest starting XI on the field in Sunday’s Premier League title clash.
Mikel Arteta’s team are at the top of the table based on goal difference compared to Liverpool in the final stretch, with City just one point behind.
The Gunners were in a similar position 12 months ago but fell apart during the crucial period of the season due to a growing injury crisis.
But ahead of Sunday’s important meeting, it is Pep Guardiola who is most worried about player fitness.
Both John Stones and Kyle Walker were injured while playing for England over the past week and these key City players were reportedly absent from training on Thursday.
Manuel Akanji also got hurt while playing for Switzerland, and there are uncertainties about the condition of goalkeeper Ederson, captain Kevin De Bruyne and top scorer Erling Haaland.
‘If Kyle Walker and John Stones don’t play I don’t see Arsenal not getting a result,’ Merson told Sportsskeeda, before offering a more downbeat assessment of his former side’s chances.
‘If all the player are fit for City, they’ll win this, because they just turn up and win big football matches. This result will hinge of the fitness of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Walker and Stones.
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves – the Gunners are still behind City in terms of overall quality, because it is scary how good Pep Guardiola’s side can be when they are on song.
‘They’ve won 19 and drawn three since last tasting defeat against Aston Villa in December. That’s what Arsenal are up against.
‘I know plenty of people fancy Arsenal to finally go to the Etihad and get a great result, but a fully fit City are about as tough as they come.
‘If you’re a Liverpool fan, you’d want Arsenal to win this one, because City’s fixtures get ridiculously favorable after this match. I think they’ll go on and win another treble if they beat the Gunners this weekend.
‘This is the match of the weekend. The goal difference between the two sides is massive right now. If Arsenal win this game, they go four points clear of City and with that goal difference, it could prove decisive in the title race.
‘Both teams are evenly matched at the moment, however, and we could see a draw in this match.’
