Mark Lawrenson has backed Arsenal to secure all three points during their Premier League clash against Everton today.
The north Londoners welcome the Toffees to the Emirates Stadium on the back of devastating back-to-back defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. The losses mean securing a place in next season's UEFA Champions League is no longer in their hands, with Mikel Arteta and Co hoping on Spurs to slip up against Norwich City.
Still, they must take on Everton on Sunday afternoon, with Frank Lampard's side already safe from relegation - something that could boost Arsenal's chances of winning. Now, Liverpool hero Lawrenson has given his predictions for the match in his final set of match forecasts for the BBC website.
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Writing for BBC, he said: "Everton are safe after their thrilling comeback from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace on Thursday, and their fans are probably still getting their breath back now. Some of them might only just be getting home.
"It's just as well Everton have got the job done already, really - I wouldn't exactly be confident about their chances of staying in the Premier League if Frank Lampard's side had to get anything at Emirates Stadium to avoid the drop.
"So, the best news for the Toffees is that this result doesn't matter. Arsenal are hardly reliable themselves at the moment but they are at home and, although Everton won at Leicester at the start of May, their record on the road is still very poor indeed.
"All of this means I am expecting the Gunners to win - but I don't think they can rescue their hopes of making the top four from here.
"Given the position they were in a few weeks ago, Mikel Arteta's side should already have secured a spot in next season's Champions League, but they have been so bad that it is not even in their hands with a game to go. That must hurt, especially because they had another blip just before that and it appeared they had recovered.
"Arsenal were outplayed by Newcastle when they lost at St James' Park on Monday but, overall, I don't think it is a question of them lacking quality - they just don't have enough leaders to step up when it matters.
"I don't think the Arsenal players will get too much sympathy from their fans, either. The mood at the ground will probably be along the lines of 'you have messed this up, there is no-one else to blame'."
Lawrenson's prediction: 2-1
Arsenal legend Paul Merson also gave his predictions for the match, again backing the Gunners to overcome Everton on the day. Writing for Sportskeeda, he said: "The shackles are off for Arsenal after their calamitous 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United last weekend.
"They were absolutely atrocious, no two ways about it. Usually, you have games where certain players play well, but this is arguably the first time I've seen a team where each of their players was off colour - it was one of the worst performances of the 2021-22 Premier League season.
"The way I read into Granit Xhaka's comments, I got the feeling that the Arsenal players believed it would be a walk in the park against Newcastle but it was far from it. Fair play to him for being honest, we don't want players beating around the bush after a catastrophic defeat.
"He spoke from the heart and gave his honest opinion of the game, but he was slammed by a large portion of the Arsenal fan base. I feel a bit sad for the bloke, but sometimes fans' frustrations tend to boil over due to the stakes involved.
"Everton have done reasonably well in my opinion, but Jordan Pickford's performances have papered over their cracks. He won them three points against Chelsea and Leicester City with a string of world-class saves, so I wouldn't be going too far if I said that they'd have already been relegated without his crucial interventions.
"At the moment, he's England's No. 1 goalkeeper and when push comes to shove, he usually steps up and performs. Aaron Ramsdale has been shaky in recent weeks, but you have to give credit when it's due as Pickford has really come big for Everton in the run-in.
"The pressure is off for Arsenal, they'll win this one comfortably. Will that be enough for a top-four spot? Only time will tell."
Merson's Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Everton
