Paul Merson tips surprise club to trouble Arsenal in upcoming fixtures

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Just Arsenal News

·28 October 2025

Paul Merson tips surprise club to trouble Arsenal in upcoming fixtures

Arsenal are currently riding high at the top of the Premier League table with a healthy advantage. Having won all their games in October without conceding a single goal, Mikel Arteta’s side are comfortably the most in-form team in the league.

Buoyed by an almost impenetrable defensive unit, the Gunners are now firm favourites not only for the league title but also for Europe’s premier competition. Last summer’s recruitment drive has been one of the biggest factors behind this success, giving Arteta a perfect balance of quality and depth within his squad.

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Merson identifies a potential stumbling block

Arsenal have enjoyed a favourable run of fixtures in recent weeks, which is set to continue over the next few matches. It follows a demanding start to the campaign that saw them face Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle.

However, according to Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, one side could break that smooth run. Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Merson said Sunderland will be the team to cause problems for the Gunners because of how well they have been playing lately.

“When I saw Arsenal’s fixtures recently, I thought they had such an easy run of games,” said Merson. “But, in a couple of weeks, Sunderland are going to give them such a hard game at the Stadium of Light.

“Sunderland will cause Arsenal problems. They are an athletic team with pace. They are well drilled and organised, and they counter with pace. They also make the right decisions on the counter, picking the right pass. They didn’t waste the ball when they had it (against Chelsea). I was so impressed with them at Stamford Bridge, and you have to say they are safe.”

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Sunderland’s strong start under Le Bris

Led by former Gunner Granit Xhaka, newly promoted Sunderland have been the surprise package of the season. Their recent comeback victory over Chelsea lifted them to fourth place in what has been a dream start under Regis Le Bris. Remarkably, after 9 games the Black Cats are ahead of Man City and Liverpool in the EPL table and only 5 points behind the Gunners at the top.

The Black Cats are also unbeaten at home, which only adds weight to Merson’s warning. Arsenal’s next Premier League match is against Burnley on 1st November, followed by the trip to Sunderland a week later. In between, they will contest a Carabao Cup fixture against Brighton and a Champions League clash against Slavia Prague as the schedule continues to intensify.

Do you think Sunderland have what it takes to halt Arsenal’s momentum, or will Arteta’s side continue their relentless run?

Editor note: I personally don’t think Burnley are going to roll over and have their tummies tickled on Saturday either – so the Gunners should get some good practice in before heading to the Stadium of Light 🙂

Let’s discuss in the comments.

Benjamin Kenneth

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