Paul Merson makes bold Arsenal v Liverpool prediction | Football

Paul Merson has backed Arsenal to run out comfortable winners over Liverpool to knock the champions ‘completely out of the title race’ on Thursday night.

Runaway Premier League leaders Arsenal picked up their fifth straight win last time out against Bournemouth, coming back from a goal down to win 3-2 at the Vitality Stadium.

Twenty-four hours later, Manchester City dropped crucial points at home to a managerless Chelsea as Enzo Fernandez struck deep into stoppage time to silence the Etihad crowd.

Fernandez’s last-gasp strike means the Gunners hold an imperious six-point advantage at the top of the table heading into the midweek fixtures, with 18 matches remaining of the 2025/26 season.

After back-to-back draws in the top flight, City will look to reapply the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side when they return to action at home to Brighton on Wednesday evening.

Defending champions Liverpool have managed to drag themselves back into contention for Champions League qualification after what was a disastrous run of results between September and December.

But like City, the Reds have dropped points in each of their last two encounters – at the hands of Leeds and Fulham – and Arne Slot’s men are preparing for what could be their toughest test yet in two days’ time at the Emirates.

‘If you’re Arsenal, it’s a brilliant time to be playing Liverpool,’ Merson said in his Sportskeeda column, in which he predicted a 3-1 victory for the Gunners.

‘Should Arsenal win at the Emirates, Liverpool are completely out of the title race!

‘Something is just not right at Liverpool and I can’t see them getting a result here.’

Merson, who won two league titles with Arsenal, questioned Slot’s decision to remove Cody Gakpo before Harrison Reed’s stunning late wondergoal at Craven Cottage last time out.

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And according to Merson, both Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa should be nailed-on starters for fourth-placed Liverpool in north London, if fit and available.

‘I don’t understand why Arne Slot decided to take Cody Gakpo off after he scored against Fulham. If Gakpo was on the pitch, he picks up Harrison Reed before that incredible late goal. It was such a bad decision from the Liverpool manager,’ he wrote.

‘Hugo Ekitike must play this game if he’s fit. Arsenal are solid at the back and Liverpool need Ekitike up against them defenders.

‘I would also play Federico Chiesa because of his energy. Liverpool won’t have much of the ball in this game, so Chiesa will be useful on the break.

‘Florian Wirtz is also starting to show his quality. When Liverpool took him off against Fulham, we saw how their attacking department suffered.

‘I rate him and I expect him to become a key player for Liverpool in the future.’

Merson believes Arsenal’s strength in depth is such that Arteta could field a second-string side and still beat the vast majority of teams in the Premier League.

‘It’s weird but I’d be more shocked if Liverpool won at Arsenal than Wolves or Leeds winning their games away from home this gameweek,’ he went on.

‘Arsenal’s B team can cause 99 per cent of the sides in this league a problem. That’s how good they are as a squad.’

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