Paul Merson makes bold Arsenal prediction for North London Derby against Tottenham
Paul Merson has explained why Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice's absence in the North London Derby is a "concern" for Arsenal.
The Gunners will face Spurs in the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in their return to Premier League action.
Arsenal go into the game with seven points from their opening three fixtures but went into the break on the back of a draw with Brighton.
It was that stalemate with the Seagulls that saw Rice sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
The midfielder will now serve a one-game suspension in the Premier League, which happens to be the North London Derby.
Odegaard could also miss the game for Mikel Arteta's side, with the Arsenal club captain suffering an ankle injury while on international duty with Norway.
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Merson has explained why he is concerned about the absence of Rice and Odegaard for Arsenal's chances of beating Spurs on Sunday, and has predicted a 1-1 draw. The former Gunners star has made a comparison to Manchester City and detailed why the next couple of weeks could be significant in the title race.
“I worry for Arsenal in the north London derby. No Declan Rice or Martin Odegaard is a huge concern," Merson told Sportskeeda.
"Like I mentioned earlier, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne missed a lot of games last season but Manchester City were still able to win the league. Can Arsenal do the same with key players missing? Maybe not.
“I'll have to go with a draw here, but that's more in hope if I'm being honest. Tottenham have been unlucky, they could've been top of the league if they weren't naive at the back.
"The fact that Arsenal's two most influential players [Odegaard and Rice] are not playing adds to their advantage here.
"Arsenal have to get either two or four points from the next two fixtures against Tottenham and Manchester City. Three points from these games are not good enough and I'll tell you why.
"If Arsenal beat Spurs and lose to City, it's no good because City will then move further ahead. If they don't get a result against Spurs, they're not going to win at City either.
"This is a massive match for Arsenal. If City win this weekend and Arsenal draw, that's a four-point lead for the reigning champions.
"And then if City beat Arsenal, it becomes a seven-point lead. Now that would be a big problem for Arsenal.”