Paul Merson Gives Worrying Chelsea prediction Ahead Of London Derby Against Arsenal

Paul Merson thinks the title race is over for Chelsea already as the Blues enter a huge London derby 10 points behind Arsenal today at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal head into the game fresh from having secured their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a 1-0 victory over FC Zurich at The Emirates on Thursday night.

Chelsea are coming off the back of just two points from their last three games and face in-form Arsenal. Merson claimed that a title race is out of the Blues’ sight now. The former Arsenal midfielder wrote: “This is a massive game for both teams, for different reasons.

READ ALSO: Arsenal Given Premier League Title Ultimatum Ahead of Chelsea Clash Today

“If Arsenal win, they will go 13 points clear of Chelsea. Let’s be realistic now – Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea aren’t talking about winning the Premier League title. The title race is over for them, and they’re looking for a top-four finish.

“If Arsenal win this game, they’d have to lose five football matches for Chelsea to catch them, and that’s if Chelsea don’t lose themselves. This is a big game for Arsenal, and they’ll need to avoid defeat. They need to make sure they’re not flat-track bullies.”

Merson continued as he delved into the importance of Sterling, claiming that he’s as much of a goalkeeper as the England international is a wing-back. He added: “Raheem Sterling is not a wing-back. It’s a really hard position to play in, and you can’t just put anybody there. Graham Potter got it horribly wrong last week

“Great wing-backs don’t get the credit they deserve – they take one full side of the pitch and they’ve got to go up and down. Raheem Sterling is as much of a wing-back as I am a goalkeeper.

“Arsenal are flying in the Premier League at the moment, and they don’t need the World Cup rest. They’re on a roll and they were outstanding against Forest. I think this match will end in a 1-1 draw, and that’ll be a good result for Arsenal.”

Merson is backing Arsenal to claim a 1-1 draw from their trip to Chelsea FC on Sunday and secure what would be a “good result” for the Gunners.

The two sides last met in the Premier League back in late April, when Eddie Nketiah scored twice to help fire Arsenal to a dramatic 4-2 win over the Blues at Stamford Bridge. The Gunners were pushing for a top-four finish at the time but ultimately missed out and ended up fifth in the table.