Paul Merson thinks Man City have an ‘excellent’ player who could really hurt Arsenal

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Paul Merson has been predicting Manchester City’s upcoming match with Arsenal, and the former Gunner believes Pep Guardiola has a player who could hurt the North London club.

The contest at the Emirates Stadium is a huge one during the early phase of the 2025/26 campaign, as a defeat for City could essentially knock them out of the title race should Liverpool go nine points clear with a win over Everton.

The Manchester club will arrive into Sunday’s match full of confidence, having defeated Man United and Napoli over recent days, while Erling Haaland has also been operating at a very high level so far during the current campaign.

Despite the Norwegian’s recent displays, Merson thinks another Man City star could cause Mikel Arteta problems on Sunday, although the pundit still expects Arsenal to emerge as the winners.

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Jeremy Doku’s form is a massive boost for Man City

Jeremy Doku impressed against Napoli on Thursday night, which followed the Belgian’s display against Man United last weekend, where the winger terrorised Ruben Amorim’s defence.

The 23-year-old is arguably displaying his best run of form since joining Man City in 2023, and ahead of the Manchester club’s match with Arsenal, Merson thinks the winger is a big boost for Guardiola.

“I also believe that a win for Manchester City will put them back in the title race. But if they don’t win, it’s goodnight for them,” Merson told Sportskeeda when predicting Arsenal to beat Man City 3-1.

“I can’t see this City team winning six and seven games on the bounce like they’ve done in the past; they are not that team anymore. If City lose this game, it’s three losses in five games already. Now that is a worrying run of form.

“If Jeremy Doku can build on his performance against Manchester United, it will be a massive boost for Manchester City.

“In the past, Doku has struggled with his decision-making, but he was excellent in the derby win last weekend. I think it will be him, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland starting together again. But it also depends on what happens against Napoli.”

This is a big change in tone from Merson, who recently stated that he was not a fan of Doku, as the Belgian does not make things happen on the pitch.

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Jeremy Doku’s record against Arsenal

In his current form, Doku will be looking to use it to help Man City defeat Arsenal on Sunday, as that is something the Belgian has yet to experience during his two years in the Premier League.

The winger has faced the Gunners on three occasions and has been part of two draws and a defeat. The 23-year-old has never produced a goal contribution against the North London club, while Guardiola has only started him in one of the three games.

This is a record the Man City star will be very eager to change, but Doku and his teammates face a very tough task against Arteta’s men on Sunday, and they know a win could be massive for their season.