ARSENAL legend Paul Merson believes his former club should prioritise the Europa League over the North London Derby this weekend.
The Gunners face their local rivals on Sunday, four days before the second leg of their last 16 clash against Olympiacos in Europe.
Arsenal are in a comfortable position ahead of their second leg against OlympiacosCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And while Mikel Arteta’s men won 3-1 in Greece on Thursday, Merson insists they should still focus on the return fixture next week.
Speaking in his column for The Star, he said: “The two games against Olympiacos are bigger for them than the North London Derby – and it hurts me to say that as an ex-Arsenal player.
“If they got beat by Tottenham but still got through against Olympiacos, I don’t think they would have a problem with that.
“But I still think they have a great chance of beating Spurs.
“Even in the games Spurs have been winning lately, they’ve been split open a couple of times.”
Last year, Arteta’s men spurned a 1-0 first leg lead against the Greek giants as they crashed out after extra time in a 2-1 home defeat.
Arsenal are currently tenth in the Premier League table.
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And while they have recovered somewhat from a dreadful start to their campaign, they remain well adrift of a Champions League place.
Meanwhile, Spurs sit seven points ahead of the Gunners and are just five points behind fourth place Chelsea at the start of the Premier League action on Saturday.
Tottenham have not beaten Arsenal in the league at the Emirates since coming from two goals down to win 3-2 in 2010.
Earlier this season, Jose Mourinho’s side beat their North London rivals 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
