Arsenal have been backed to conquer Tottenham in the north London derby by both Chris Sutton and Paul Merson ahead of Saturday's crunch clash.
The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League and have emerged as surprise title contenders under Mikel Arteta, who is determined to end the club's multi-year exile from the Champions League. This weekend's lunchtime meeting will be a chance for Arsenal to exact a measure of revenge against Spurs, who pipped their rivals to a top-four spot last year.
Antonio Conte's side are also fancied to rival Manchester City and Liverpool at the summit of the Premier League and are just a point behind Arsenal in the top-flight standings.
Tottenham head into the match as one of just two sides who have yet to taste defeat in the league so far this term - but Sutton believes that Arsenal can change that at the Emirates.
“You could make a case for either team here,” Sutton wrote in his prediction column for BBC Sport. “But my gut feeling is to go with Arsenal – and for there to be lots of goals. It’s at Emirates Stadium, and I think the Gunners will take the game to Tottenham. Spurs like that, because they are at their very best on the counter-attack, but I think Arsenal will get at them."
And Paul Merson also believes that home advantage will help his former side to inflict a first league defeat of the season on Tottenham. He told SportsKeeda : "The way they're playing at the moment, I don't see Tottenham being able to beat Arsenal. They did defeat Leicester City by a 6-2 margin the other day, but the scoreline flattered them in my opinion.
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"Son Heung-Min hasn’t done well when he’s started games so far this season, and Antonio Conte might use him as an impact player to turn to on the bench.
"Are Arsenal title contenders? I'll be able to answer that question after they play Liverpool next week. There's no point in winning one big game and losing the next one. Arsenal lost to Manchester United and they now have two big games which they need to win.
"I was quite shocked that Ben White didn't make it to the England squad. He can play in three different positions, and that could help Gareth Southgate. When White plays at right-back for Arsenal, it allows Tierney to bomb forward and they effectively play with a back three. It has worked well for Mikel Arteta so far, and there's no reason to change that.
"With Manchester City in the title race, both these teams should realistically aim for a top-four finish. Arsenal absolutely dismantled Brentford in their previous game, and their home advantage gives them the upper hand in this match."
