Paul Merson is expecting Arsenal to record a narrow win against West Ham in the London derby on Saturday afternoon.

Without a recognised striker, Merson says he can see the Gunners struggling to get clear-cut openings and they will also have to be wary of the danger that their opponents pose on the break:

“Arsenal were poor in the first 70 minutes against Leicester. The football wasn’t free-flowing at all. I was gutted for Raheem Sterling because for some reason he just can’t seem to get going at Arsenal. Despite his goal in the last game, I think Merino will be left on the bench here. I expect Mikel Arteta to use the same front three he used against Leicester. If it doesn’t work out, he can always bring Merino on and hope for the same result.”

“West Ham will come out and frustrate Arsenal in this game, plus the Hammers have the firepower in the form of players who can pick you off. They are also a better team in games they are forced to rely on [the] counter-attack. Arsenal have a tricky run of fixtures after this game. This is a must-win clash and they must look at one game at a time rather than getting too ahead of themselves. The title is still well out of their hands though.”

What score has Merson predicted?

The Sky Sports pundit has gone with a 1-0 victory which is a result that fans will be happy with, even though the game could be a pretty nervy watch.

Any sort of win will be welcomed with Mikel Arteta’s side hoping to increase the pressure on title rivals Liverpool who will be heading to the Etihad for their match against Manchester City on Sunday.

Arsenal v West Ham team news

Ben White could be in line for his first appearance since November, having returned to the bench for the game at Leicester. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka (hamstring) are both expected to return at some point in March, while Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Kai Havertz (hamstring) and Gabriel Jesus (ACL) are all out for the season.

For West Ham, Vladimir Coufal (hamstring) is not 100% fit, Lucas Paqueta (ankle) is sidelined for the next four weeks, while the Irons will also be without Niclas Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville (both hamstring) and Michail Antonio (broken leg).

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