Merson tips Arsenal star to "have a field day" in "messy" Newcastle prediction
Arsenal icon Paul Merson has tipped his former side to run riot against a defensively frail Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday night, with one specific player forecast to shine.
The Magpies have conceded eight goals in their last three league matches and will come face-to-face with an Arsenal side that are currently scoring for fun in the league - having notched five and six against Burnley and West Ham, respectively.
Bukayo Saka, whom Merson has picked to have a bountiful outing, has 12 goals in the Premier League this campaign, making him the Gunners’ top marksman. Leandro Trossard also has three goals in his last three matches and has laid claim to a newfound false nine role within the squad.
Despite Mikel Arteta's side firing on all cylinders in the league, their 1-0 Champions League upset to Portuguese side Porto, in which they failed to register a single shot on target, was a hurdle left uncleared and has put their push for a place in the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competition in jeopardy.
Merson chimed in on the difficulty of European football, stating: “They suffered a big blow in Porto. They last won a European trophy 30 years ago. It just shows you how hard European competitions really are – you need the experience.
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“They had a lot of the ball away from home, but they didn’t really know what to do with it. I’m not sure why they changed the away-goals rule – you’re now going to get games like this because teams will go into a shell in their away matches.”
The Sky Sports pundit has chosen to stick to his guns, however, and thinks that Saturday night’s game is the perfect opportunity for the north London club to bounce back, adding: “I don’t think their European setback will affect Arsenal this weekend.
Mikel Arteta's side were stunned by Porto's late winner in the Champions League (PA)“Newcastle have been inconsistent recently but have managed to remain unbeaten in their last five matches. They’re scoring goals, but they’re conceding far too many goals as well. They cannot go to Arsenal this weekend and defend like that – they’ll get destroyed. Newcastle’s defence is struggling at the moment, but they don’t have much to play for.
“I like watching them play because they open games up, but they don’t want to do that against Arsenal – it could get messy.
"Bukayo Saka could have a field day in this fixture, and I expect Arsenal to win this game comfortably.”
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