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Arsenal great Paul Merson has claimed that he would be surprised if the Gunners beat Manchester City in their Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (February 15).
The Gunners failed to extend their lead at the top of the 2022-23 Premier League table after registering a 1-1 home draw against Brentford on Saturday (February 11). Winter signing Leandro Trossard scored his first goal for his new club in the 66th minute. But Ivan Toney leveled things in the 74th minute to hand Thomas Frank's side a vital away point.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Merson shared his thoughts on Arsenal's upcoming clash against Manchester City next week. He elaborated:
"It's a hard game coming up now. A big game Wednesday night. If you want to win Premier League titles, any league title, it's how you bounce back. It's all about timing. At the start of the season you probably think, 'Brentford at home, not the worst', but they're bang in form and played like a good team, a clever football team."
Dissecting Arsenal's performance against Brentford, Merson added:
"When they went 1-0 up, you'd expect them to hold on and they didn't. It's a massive match on Wednesday. I think it's make or break. If Manchester City go and win the game, I don't see Arsenal coming back from that. After that performance, I don't see them beating City. I'd be quite shocked. They were so open at the back."
Predicting City to expose the Gunners' defense, Merson continued:
"If Brentford had picked the right pass at times, they'd have got in and won that game. Toney missed a real good chance where he hit the bar and well, Manchester City have a better quality of player to pick that right pass in the opposition's final third. Come Wednesday night I'd be quite shocked if Arsenal won that game."
Manchester City interested in move to sign 24-year-old Arsenal-linked star: Reports
According to The Times, Manchester City have identified Declan Rice as one of their top targets in the upcoming summer transfer window. Borussia Dortmund ace Jude Bellingham, Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell and AC Milan forward Rafael Leao are also on their radar.
Should Rice secure a move to the Etihad Stadium this summer, he would provide elite competition to Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Kalvin Phillips. City captain Ilkay Gundogan is set to depart on a free transfer in four months, while Bernardo Silva is likely to seal a big-money exit.
Rice, who is valued at over £100 million, has registered 11 goals and 12 assists in 223 appearances across all competitions for West Ham.
