Paul Merson has urged Mikel Arteta not to start Arsenal midfielder Jorginho in this weekend’s huge Premier League clash against Manchester City. Arsenal will look to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool when they play host to reigning champions Man City on Sunday. The Gunners have won 13 of their 23 league games so far this season, emerging as Liverpool’s biggest rival for the Premier League title.

Manchester City, meanwhile, have slipped to fourth in the table and look set to be involved in a battle for a top-four place rather than the title. Merson expects Arsenal to edge past Man City but says he wouldn’t start Jorginho in the Premier League clash. Italy midfielder Jorginho started Arsenal’s Champions League win over Girona on Wednesday night but Merson believes he should drop back to the bench for the visit of City.

‘If Liverpool draw or lose [against Bournemouth], then it is perfectly set up for Arsenal to open up the title race,’ Merson told Sportskeeda. ‘The crowd at the Emirates will be buzzing and they will demand nothing but a win against Manchester City. ‘Let’s not forget that the pressure is always mounting on Arsenal with every passing week. They had to beat Aston Villa after Liverpool won late against Brentford and they ended up blowing a two-goal lead!.

‘Arsenal still have an advantage here because I don’t think Man City are back to their best yet. ‘They may have improved results wise, but are they ready to trouble Arsenal? I’m not entirely sure. ‘If they had to wait a little longer for that equaliser against Club Brugge, it could have become a messy game in my opinion. ‘People were saying Brugge were unbeaten in 20 games so it’s a massive win. Well, I saw Liverpool beat a Lille team on a 23-game unbeaten run without breaking a sweat.

‘Manchester City and Liverpool are teams in the big league and they should be winning such games comfortably anyway. ‘If City were the team of old, I would play Jorginho in midfield because he is good at getting out of the press, comfortable on the ball and can pick a pass. ‘But then Manchester City are not the same anymore, they don’t close down as quickly as they used to. So I wouldn’t really prefer Jorginho for this game.’.

John Stones scored an injury-time equaliser to earn Man City a point in a 2-2 draw in the corresponding fixture back in September. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Arrow MORE: Mathys Tel sends message to Manchester United and Arsenal after rejecting £50m Tottenham transfer. Arrow MORE: Patrick Dorgu waves goodbye to Lecce fans ahead of £29m Manchester United transfer.