Paul Merson has now warned Arsenal of the importance of beating Brentford this Saturday afternoon. He believes the game is crucial before Mikel Arteta’s side host Manchester City.
Arsenal welcome their Premier League title rivals to Emirates Stadium next Wednesday in a fixture originally scheduled for October. The north London side asked to move the match to create space to reschedule their Europa League group stage fixture with PSV Eindhoven.
Now, Pep Guardiola’s side will travel to the capital hoping to gain ground on Arteta’s team in the title race. A Manchester City win at Arsenal could also lift the reigning champions to the top of the table. But they will first need to beat Aston Villa and Brentford beat the Gunners.
Arsenal go into this weekend with a five-point advantage over Manchester City and a game in hand. But Arteta could have held an eight-point margin over Guardiola had his side beat Everton last week. The Toffees won 1-0 before the Citizens lost 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur.
Merson warns Arsenal of Brentford’s significance before facing Manchester City
Merson believes Arsenal would have effectively wrapped up the title race before hosting Manchester City if they had beaten Everton. So, the Gunners great now warns his former side of the importance of picking up a win at Brentford this weekend to avoid a collapse.
“They are the fine margins you are dealing with at this stage of the season,” Merson wrote in his column for Sky Sports. “That’s why the Brentford game is so important on Saturday. Lose a second game on the trot and the danger is that it all starts to go pear-shaped.
“However, win it and there is no damage done at all before Man City travel to the Emirates. You don’t want to lose to Brentford and then have to go and beat Man City.
“It becomes a different game and a different pressure. A response and a win against Brentford will create confidence again. On the other hand, a second defeat creates doubt and then the last team you want to face next is City – no matter how they are playing.”
Arsenal won 3-0 at Brentford in September with goals by William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira. Arteta started Vieira at the Gtech Community Stadium after a calf injury ruled Martin Odegaard out. But Jesus will be absent this week as he recovers from a knee injury.
Brentford hosted Arsenal on the back of Manchester United beating the Gunners 3-1. The Old Trafford clash had returned the Gunners’ only Premier League defeat this term before losing at Everton. Arteta’s squad won 11 of their 13 matches after losing to the Red Devils.
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