'I’ll be shocked' - Pundits agree over Tottenham vs Arsenal prediction for North London derby

Paul Merson and Chris Sutton are both in agreement with their predictions of the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Sunday will see the Gunners travel to face Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as both clubs battle for their respective ambitions. Arsenal are striving to win the Premier League title while Tottenham are looking to secure a top-four finish in the final weeks of the season.

Arsenal go into the fixture top of the Premier League table and one point clear of Manchester City who are second and have a game in hand. For Tottenham, they are playing their first top-flight fixture since the 4-0 defeat to Newcastle on April 13. Spurs are fifth in the table and six points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with two games in hand.

Ahead of the game, Sutton has given his prediction of how he thinks the North London derby will play out. The former Premier League striker has backed Arsenal to claim a 2-1 win over their bitter rivals.

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"Arsenal bounced back superbly from their defeat by Aston Villa with wins over Wolves and Chelsea and I am expecting more of the same here," Sutton told BBC Sport.

"They should win this because of the way they are playing and also because I just don't think Tottenham have been at their best in their past few games, even the ones they have won.

"It will still be really keenly contested, but the Gunners have a great balance in attack and defence and that might give them the edge.

"If Arsenal do come out on top, it would be an enormous win for them in the title race and keep the heat on Manchester City.

"I have no doubt Mikel Arteta's side will win their final three games too - Bournemouth (home), Manchester United (away) and Everton (home) - but it will not be enough if City keep winning too."

Merson has also given his prediction and agrees with Sutton by believing Arsenal will beat Spurs 3-1 in the derby. Merson went on to explain why he believes Tottenham will not be able to beat the Gunners with their own tactics.

"Tottenham have been superb at home but if you look at their last ten results - they’ve faced nine bottom-half teams! Manchester City were the only top-half team they faced in that period and they lost that game, so I can’t see them getting anything out of this one," Merson told Sportskeeda.

"Arsenal are just a better football team, so I’m very bullish on this one. I’ll be shocked if the Gunners don’t win this one as Spurs can’t beat Arsenal at their own game.

"When Arsenal lost to Aston Villa, they changed their team around by moving Kai Havertz into a midfield role to accommodate Gabriel Jesus, a move which ultimately backfired. In recent weeks, they’ve gone back to Havertz up front with Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in midfield - that is the team they must retain for the rest of the season!"