Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson believes the Gunners should be prepared for a tightly fought contest against Burnley tomorrow afternoon.

Unai Emery’s side will head into the match off the back of two consecutive defeats against Southampton and Tottenham, and the ex-Gunners star says he saw the results coming:

“I do think they’ll just steal this by one. I’ve been saying it all along, the results have been covering over the cracks. You shouldn’t have to come from behind each week or score two or three goals each week to win games; sooner or later that stops.”

Merson predicts a tight 1-0 win over Sean Dyche’s side, who have looked more like the Burnley of last season in recent games.

After winning against Brighton, they held out for most of the game against Spurs last weekend, only to be thwarted by a last-gasp goal from Christian Eriksen.

Whether the Gunners will struggle to open up the Clarets like their London rivals, it will be interesting to see. Emery’s team did take a while to get the first goal against Huddersfield in their last home league game.

A classy overhead kick from Lucas Torreira was enough to seal victory on that day but Arsenal fans will be hoping for a more free-flowing performance at the Emirates tomorrow.