Paul Merson is adamant that Arsenal will not lose this weekend as his former club welcome Tottenham to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners started the season in disastrous fashion, losing three successive Premier League matches, but their fortunes have somewhat turned around in recent weeks.
Mikel Arteta has led his side to back-to-back 1-0 victories against Norwich City and Burnley as Arsenal head into the first North London Derby of the campaign.
It’s the complete opposite of Spurs, who won their first three matches of the season, but have been beaten 3-0 in their last two encounters with Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
Both managers, Arteta and Nuno Espirito Santo, are trying to win over their respective fanbases and a win in the derby would certainly help that.
Merson, though, believes there is no chance that Tottenham will turn over Arsenal at the weekend.
Speaking on talkSPORT, via the Express, the former Gunners midfielder said: “I think it is a big game at the weekend against Tottenham.
“It is always a big game, anyway, but it becomes even bigger. I did a thing with Jamie O’Hara a couple of weeks ago about the Arsenal-Tottenham game, and I had to sit there. He absolutely rinsed me.
“He flew out today from the talkSPORT studios. I said even then when Arsenal had lost all three games and when Spurs had won all three games, that there is no way Arsenal will lose this football match.
“I don’t see Arsenal losing the game. There is a lot of pressure now on Tottenham.
“The game yesterday, in the end, it was a bit like watching an under-10s team playing against a man’s team. It was shocking.”
Both sides are in Carabao Cup action before switching their attention to the highly-anticipated North London Derby, with Arsenal at home to AFC Wimbledon and Tottenham away to Wolves, with both games on Wednesday night.
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Going into Sunday’s game, both sides have enjoyed success against one another in recent campaigns. Last season, Arsenal beat Tottenham at the Emirates, while Spurs won 2-0 against the Gunners in the reverse fixture.
The last time Tottenham were successful against Arsenal at the Emirates was in 2018 in the League Cup, but in the Premier League, Spurs have not been successful across north London since November 2010.