Former Russia international and Arsenal star Andrey Arshavin fancies the Gunners to make the top four of the Premier League this season. The north London outfit were in a good position to make the Champions League places last term but a poor end to the league season combined with the Europa League final defeat saw them miss out on the elite competition.

They have started the current campaign on a positive note with two wins from the opening three games and Arshavin believes the club can compete for the top four without having much of a say on the Premier League title race, he told TalkSPORT: “It’s difficult to replace a guy (Arsene Wenger) who managed the team for more than 20 years. Unai Emery is not in a good position I would say. But I would say the first year was not bad. He is building the team and he needs time. I hope he does well. I think the realistic target is to be in the top four because Manchester City and Liverpool are very strong. They are contenders for the title.”

After the opening three matches, the Capital outfit find themselves in the third spot on the table. In the recent gameweek, they suffered the first loss of the season after a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool but manager Unai Emery will be hoping for a strong response from the team when north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur visit the Emirates Stadium this weekend.

The north London derby has been fairly even over the past few years with the Gunners dominating the home games while they have struggled on the road. In the Premier League terms, the Gunners managed a comfortable 4-2 home triumph over Spurs last season and they should be favourites for the forthcoming clash between the sides.