Arsenal return to action on Wednesday night with a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion, with title rivals City hosting Nottingham Forest elsewhere that evening - a rare occasion of the two heavyweights playing their respective matches at the same time. The Gunners haven't lost at the Amex Stadium since June 2020 during the first weekend back of 'Project Restart' during the coronavirus lockdown. Keown is, however, wary of the threat posed by the Seagulls.
"They were in a little bit of trouble, weren't they, Brighton. They were on a shocking run, weren't they? So, it's interesting that [James] Milner is coming to the team now to sort of steady the ship a little bit, an older experienced head coming. They're coming into form just at the wrong time for Arsenal, really. [I'm] not scared, but you know, respectful of what they put together," Keown added, before concluding that playing at the same time as City would be of benefit to Arsenal.
"I think actually it's kind of an equal pressure. If they're playing the same day as you earlier than you, I never really liked that. If it's a whole 24 hours later, as we've heard in the last couple of matches, then I think you can have a clear mind of what you're doing, your preparation. So to put them back-to-back is... You know, the media tries to sort of to drag it out. I think that's an interesting situation when they're playing in another garden nearby."
Martin Keown will be providing punditry and analysis for TNT Sports this midweek. Every Premier League fixture on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.