Paul Merson says Tottenham Hotspur are slightly ahead of Arsenal as they both look to close the gap on the top four next season.
Sunday's North London derby will be between two sides that have endured poor campaigns that have left them fighting to qualify for the Europa League, let alone the Champions League.
Under Mikel Arteta. the Gunners have put in some good performances recently and turned around their form following defeats to Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion when the Premier League restarted.
The Gunners sit a point above Spurs, who have been uninspiring under Jose Mourinho and played out a dire goalless draw with struggling Bournemouth in midweek.
Yet Merson believes that his former club are further behind the top four than Spurs are at the moment.
He wrote in the Daily Star: "Sunday’s derby is a close one to call. But I think Arsenal are a bit behind Tottenham.
"Neither of them are going to finish in the top four this season but there’s more chance of Spurs doing that next season than Arsenal.
"Over a 38-game season, with the squads they have, and if everyone stays fit, I’d be surprised if Arsenal finish above Tottenham.
"I saw Arsenal against Leicester and they impressed me. But I liked what I saw from Spurs against Everton as well.
"If I was a manager I would have loved seeing Hugo Lloris and Heung-min Son go at each other like that.
"As a manager you’re crying out for something like that. Players get tired of hearing the same voice moaning all the time. They switch off.
"So you always need a Roy Keane type in the dressing room calling people out. Mourinho called it “beautiful” and I agree with him.
"It’s an absolute dream when you see players do that. Ian Wright used to be terrible. If you didn’t pass to him he’d go mental.
"Son and Lloris were laughing and joking about it afterwards. It’s a sign of two players who want to win.
"Spurs have been close to winning things a few times. This just shows they’re not happy where they are.
"And they shouldn’t be either - they are too far behind the Champions League teams."
