Paul Merson explains his Arsenal v Man United prediction

Paul Merson is backing Arsenal to claim a 3-1 victory over Manchester United on Sunday to continue their Premier League title challenge.

The north London side are preparing to welcome the Red Devils to The Emirates this weekend after having claimed an impressive 2-0 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

Arsenal start the weekend five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand after Pep Guardiola’s men were 4-2 winners over Tottenham on Thursday night.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are aiming to get back to winning ways after having dropped points in their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

The Red Devils will be without the suspended Casemiro for Sunday’s clash after the Brazilian midfielder picked up a booking in the draw at Selhurst Park in midweek.

Former Arsenal midfielder Merson feels that the Brazilian’s absence will be a big loss for the Red Devils and he is tipping his old side to claim an important win in front of their home fans.

Writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson said: “This is the biggest Premier League game of the season so far. If Arsenal win this game, Manchester United could be out of the title race.

“This is a massive game for Man United, and they’ll be 11 points behind Arsenal if they lose this match.

“This is a much harder game for Arsenal than the Tottenham match. Casemiro is a big player, and United would’ve had just as much of a chance as Arsenal if he was available. He brings experience to the midfield and would’ve been on Martin Odegaard. They’ll miss his presence in this match.

“Luke Shaw marked Erling Haaland out of the game last week – leave him out of the lineup at your own peril. With Casemiro suspended for this match, I’m backing Arsenal to win this game.”

Meanwhile, former Chelsea FC star Chris Sutton is also expecting to see Arsenal claim victory with a 3-1 win on Sunday afternoon.

Sutton feels that Manchester United are sure to cause Arsenal problems at The Emirates but he is still expecting to see Mikel Arteta’s men come out on top.

“I always have a sneaky feeling for Manchester United in games like this, with Marcus Rashford so good on the counter-attack and Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen having the eye for the pass that would put him through,” Sutton wrote in his column for BBC Sport.

“On the flip side, I just wonder how much Wednesday’s draw against Palace will have taken out of Erik ten Hag’s side, who will be missing the suspended Casemiro in midfield too.

“As I said on the Monday Night Club on Radio 5 Live, United’s biggest issue at present is managing expectation, because after winning nine games in a row some of their fans started to think they are title contenders again.

“Yes, they have found some consistency with their performance levels but it is Arsenal who have set the standard this season, with 15 wins and only one defeat in their first 18 league games.

“This will be a great game to watch because of United’s threat on the break, but Arsenal are at home and they are playing like they believe they can beat anyone at the moment.”