Arsenal legend Paul Merson has predicted the scoreline of the Gunners’ Premier League Gameweek 22 meeting with league leaders Liverpool. The Englishman believes the two heavyweights will play out a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (February 4).
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Arsenal, who were seen as one of the favorites for the Premier League title this season, dropped quite a few points in December, closing the year with consecutive defeats to West Ham United and Fulham. They have bounced back this year, clinching back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. However, neither team possessed the threat Liverpool do.
The Reds, who are leading the race for the Premier League title, are on a four-game winning run. In their last outing, they bagged a comfortable 4-1 victory over an in-form Chelsea side. The north London side will have the home advantage in Sunday’s clash, but Merson is not confident it will ensure maximum points for his old club.
Merson Not Confident Of Gunners’ Chances Against Rampant Reds
In his column for Sportskeeda, Merson praised Liverpool’s performance against Chelsea, suggesting Mikel Arteta’s side would need something extra special to stop Jurgen Klopp and Co. in their tracks.
The two-time English champion wrote:
“This is once again a must-win game for Arsenal. If they lose, they are out of the Premier League title race and a draw is no good either, so they absolutely have to go for it.
“Before Liverpool’s demolition of Chelsea, I was quite bullish about this game and thought Arsenal would win. My opinion has changed now as the Reds were absolutely unbelievable last night. Chelsea weren’t great, but Liverpool blew them out of the water and could’ve had more goals if Darwin Nunez hadn’t struck the bar four times!”
Merson added:
“A draw isn’t ideal for Arsenal, but I don’t think Liverpool will lose too much sleep if they share the spoils away from home. One player who deserves a mention is Conor Bradley, oh my god where has he come from?
“Joe Gomez kept Noni Madueke in his pocket and Liverpool’s forwards are scoring bags of goals, so you could say everything Jurgen Klopp has touched in recent weeks has turned to gold. In my opinion, he definitely starts ahead of Andy Robertson at the Emirates.”
Merson’s Prediction: 2-2
Arsenal have faced Liverpool 241 times across competitions. The Gunners have won 82 games, the Merseysiders 95, and the two playing out 64 draws.
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