Paul Merson has revealed his prediction as Arsenal prepare to face Manchester City in the Community Shield final.
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The Premier League season curtain-raiser is usually contested between the previous campaign’s champions and FA Cup winners.
But as Man City won both competitions on the way to a historic treble, Arsenal were handed a place in Sunday’s Community Shield final at Wembley courtesy of finishing as runners-up in the Premier League.
Arsenal came close to winning their first league title since 2004 last term but an end-of-season wobble allowed Manchester City to claim their third successive title.
The Gunners have bolstered Mikel Arteta’s squad at the Emirates Stadium this summer with the signings of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
Man City, meanwhile, have spent over £100m to bring Croatia internationals Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic to the Etihad.
Revealing his prediction for the Community Shield final, Merson told Sportskeeda: ‘Arsenal have depth in their squad and have closed the gap in the transfer market.
‘When they played in the group stages in Europe last season, they played their strongest team. They started resting players in the knock-outs and went out straight away against Sporting Lisbon.
‘They’ve brought in players now to strengthen the team. Very few people expected Arsenal to make it to the top four last season, but there are a lot of expectations from the team this season.
‘A lot of players were unbelievable for Arsenal last season, and it’s a big ask for them to produce the same quality again.
‘This Community Shield match will be a bigger game for Arsenal than it will be for Man City. I’m going to back Arsenal to win this game, 2-1.’
MORE : Mikel Arteta questioned his Arsenal future after losing Premier League title race
MORE : Pep Guardiola breaks silence on Arsenal beating Man City to Declan Rice
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