Arsenal will not beat Manchester City. Defending two on two, Citizens will break him down with quality passing, thinks Merson

The Champions League is on the agenda on Wednesday, but Premier League fans are looking forward to the battle for the top spot between Arsenal and Manchester City. The starting positions of both teams have changed over the last week, with the Gunners losing twice, while the Citizens responded to their loss to Tottenham with a win over Aston Villa.

At the start of February, it seemed that Arsenal were not going to shake off their winning mood. It won the London derby at Tottenham (2-0), then triumphed in a five-goal shootout with Manchester United (3-2).

However, the curse of the club and the coach showed on the ground of unpopular Everton with unpopular Sean Dyche and the penultimate team of the table won 1: 0 after an excellent performance. And this weekend Brentrord drew at the Emirates.

“It’s all about the timing of the draw. At the start of the season you would have said Brentford at home is a given. But now they are in form and playing like a good and clever team,” said Sky Sports expert and former footballer Paul Merson.

And Merson is right about the timing. Brentford had been on a run of nine league rounds without defeat before the game against the Gunners. It included a 2-1 triumph at Manchester City and a 3-1 home demolition of Liverpool.

And at Arsenal, he was not the worse team. Although he scored with the help of Christian Norgaard’s offside, he hit the crossbar and was dangerous in front of Aaron Ramsdale, especially in the first half.

“After the Brentford performance, I don’t believe Arsenal will win against Manchester. They were open at the back, they played two on two. If Brentford had sent a good pass, I’m sure they would have converted something and won,” Merson continued.

The Gunners don’t have much time to train, with a possible game of the season coming up on Wednesday. They will welcome Manchester City to the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal have a three-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s charges and a game to spare.

The Citizens did well in their dress rehearsal for the title battle, beating Aston Villa 3-1 at home, with a pleasing performance especially in the first half. Erling Haaland is nursing a minor injury, but will probably recover.

“Toney hit the crossbar in a great chance and the Citizens have better players who send out quality passes. I would be surprised if Arsenal win,” Merson added.

Source: Sky Sports.