Ex-Arsenal star Paul Merson is backing his former club to get back to winning ways against Aston Villa this weekend.

The Gunners will have to regain their composure quickly after the disappointment of losing to Manchester City on Wednesday but Merson believes they can secure the three points at Villa Park:

“This won’t be like the Everton game. Aston Villa are going to play better football – they’re not going to kick Arsenal around and resort to long balls. This could play into Arsenal’s hands, and I think they should be able to win this game.”

Merson has gone with a 2-0 win for the away side, which seems like a reasonable prediction considering the form that Villa are in at the moment.

Unai Emery’s side were well beaten when they faced City at the Etihad last time out, while they also lost their last home match 4-2 to Leicester City.

Of course, Arsenal are not in great shape themselves currently, having not won in four matches, but they do possess more firepower and should be able to cause Villa plenty of problems.

As the Gunners are playing before City on Saturday, they will also have the extra motivation of going back top of the table if they do secure a result.