Paul Merson believes Manchester City has a ‘great’ player who will really hurt Arsenal

Paul Merson has predicted Manchester City’s forthcoming encounter against Arsenal, and the former Gunner feels Pep Guardiola has a man who might hurt the North London club.

The game at the Emirates Stadium is crucial in the early stages of the 2025/26 season, as a loss for City may effectively knock them out of the title race if Liverpool wins versus Everton and leads by nine points.

The Manchester club will be confident heading into Sunday’s match after defeating Manchester United and Napoli in recent days, and Erling Haaland has also performed admirably this season.

Despite the Norwegian’s recent performances, Merson believes another Manchester City player could provide a problem for Mikel Arteta on Sunday, albeit the analyst believes Arsenal will win.

Jeremy Doku points to the skies during Manchester City’s match against SSC Napoli.
Photo: Alex Livesey/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Jeremy Doku’s form is a huge boost for Manchester City.

Jeremy Doku shined against Napoli on Thursday night, building on his performance against Manchester United last weekend, when the winger terrorised Ruben Amorim’s defence.

The 23-year-old is perhaps in his best form since joining Manchester City in 2023, and Merson believes the winger is a significant boost for Guardiola ahead of the match against Arsenal.

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“I also believe that a win for Manchester City will propel them back into the title chase. But if they don’t win, it’s goodnight for them,” Merson told Sportskeeda, anticipating Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester City.

“I don’t see this City team winning six or seven games in a row like they have in the past; they aren’t that team anymore.” If City loses this game, it will be their third loss in five games. That’s a frightening run of form.

If Jeremy Doku can improve on his performance against Manchester United, it will be a significant boost for Manchester City.

“Doku has previously battled with decision-making, but he was outstanding in last weekend’s derby victory. I believe he, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland will relaunch their partnership. But it also relies on what happens with Napoli.”

This is a significant shift in tone from Merson, who previously indicated that he is not a fan of Doku since the Belgian does not create opportunities on the pitch.

Jeremy Doku’s record versus Arsenal

Doku will be hoping to exploit his current form to help Manchester City upset Arsenal on Sunday, as this is something the Belgian has yet to experience in his two years in the Premier League.

The winger has faced Arsenal three times, with two draws and one defeat. The 23-year-old has never scored against the North London club, and Guardiola has only started him in one of their three encounters.

This is a record the Manchester City player will be eager to break, but Doku and his colleagues face a difficult assignment against Arteta’s men on Sunday, and they know a victory might be critical to their season.