Manchester City will beat Arsenal to the Premier League title if they secure a win at the Emirates on Wednesday evening, according to Paul Merson.

Speaking before the reigning champions played Aston Villa on Sunday, the Sky Sports pundit said the Gunners’ poor performance against Brentford left him worried about their chances of finishing top of the table:

“It’s a massive football match. I think it’s make or break. If Man City go and win the game, I don’t see Arsenal coming back from that. I don’t see them beating Man City on Wednesday. I’d be quite shocked. They were so open at the back [against Brentford]. Played 2v2 at the back. If Brentford had picked the right pass at times they’d have got in and won that game.”

“Ivan Toney misses a real good chance where he hits the bar and Man City have a better quality of player to pick that right pass. Come Wednesday night I’d be quite shocked if Arsenal went and won that game.”

The midweek clash between the two title contenders will be a defining moment of the season but, whether it will be as decisive as Merson claims, it is doubtful.

Even after the match, the Citizens will still have 16 games remaining (including the return fixture against Arsenal) which is effectively half of the season.

Of course, whoever wins will certainly have the momentum in the title race but there are likely to be plenty more twists and turns between now and May. We shall see how the two teams perform on Wednesday night.