Paul Merson is backing Arsenal to get their top-four challenge back on track with a 2-0 win against Brighton at The Emirates on Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners suffered a surprise 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night following goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha.
Arsenal’s failure to beat Palace left Mikel Arteta’s side in fifth position in the table but level on points with bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The north London side looked to be in pole position to finish in the top four with three games in hand but losses to Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace have left Arteta’s men in a scrap to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
Chelsea FC, Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham and Wolves are all competing with Arsenal for a place in Uefa competitions to promise a fascinating conclusion to the 2021-22 Premier League campaign.
Brighton ended a six-game losing run in the Premier League with an uninspiring 0-0 draw with Norwich City last weekend as Graham Potter’s side continue to struggle for goals.
Former Arsenal midfielder Merson is tipping the Gunners to secure a straightforward 2-0 win against Brighton at The Emirates on Saturday afternoon.
“I expect Arsenal to jump straight back on the horse and win this game after dropping three valuable points against Crystal Palace,” Merson told Sportskeeda.
“Brighton should have beaten Norwich City last time around, but they failed to score and looked underwhelming for large parts of the game.”
Arsenal earned a point in a goalless stalemate with Brighton at the Amex Stadium in the reverse fixture back in October.
The Gunners have only managed to win two of their last six games against Brighton.
Arsenal will face Southampton at St Mary’s in the Premier League next weekend.