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Arsenal news: Gunners hero delivers bold top four prediction, Man Utd fans won’t be happy
ARSENAL will be thinking they can beat Manchester United to a spot in the top four this season, Gunners hero Nigel Winterburn claims.
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The Gunners and United already trail Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Both Liverpool and Chelsea boast a 100 per cent record, while City are still unbeaten.
However, Arsenal and United have lost two games each, despite being just four games into the season.
Jose Mourinho is under immense pressure at Old Trafford, with reports claiming the Special One could be sacked if United’s fortunes do not turn around.
Emery should be looking at the problems at United and be thinking they can capitalise on Mourinho's struggles
And Winterburn says Arsenal will be hoping to capitalise on United’s struggles and beat them to a Champions League spot.
“I think Arsenal will fall short and will fail to break into the top four this season,” Winterburn told SportingBet.
“As Arsenal rebuild and restructure the team, they have to stay around the top four and be in a position to challenge the teams above them.
“I think this season has come too soon for the club.
“I don’t see Arsenal being anywhere near Manchester City or Liverpool this season.
“Tottenham and Chelsea are also very strong and have started brightly.
“However, I do think Arsenal and Emery should be looking at the problems at Manchester United and be thinking they can capitalise on Mourinho's struggles.”
Arsenal could use the Europa League to secure a Champions League spot next season.
However, Winterburn has warned Unai Emery he must focus on the Premier League.
“I think Arsenal would be crazy to be thinking about focussing on the Europa League at this stage of the season,” he added.
“Despite losing a couple of games, it’s far too early for Emery to be thinking about anything besides finishing in the top four.
“However, it’s key that Arsenal stay in the Europa League as it can act as a safety net and another option if they were to fall behind in the Premier League.
“Wenger used the early stages of the Europa League as an opportunity to field younger players as he believed they were good enough to get them through the group stages.
“It will be interesting to see if Emery still adopts this approach when the competition starts. He has a great track record in the Europa League so I think he will take it very seriously.”