Neville: Arsenal Can Beat Chelsea 2-0 and Challenge for Premier League and Champions League This Season

Gary Neville predicts Arsenal will beat Chelsea 2-0 in their Premier League meeting and believes Arsenal have the ability to continue competing for the Premier League and Champions League.

Arsenal began the new season with a 3-0 win over newly promoted Coventry and a 1-0 victory against Aston Villa; Chelsea defeated Fulham 3-2 and narrowly beat Brighton 4-3. Chelsea, coached by Xabi Alonso, will visit Arsenal on Sunday, with both teams hoping to maintain their perfect starts.

Neville believes Chelsea could finish second in the Premier League this season and said the away match against defending champions Arsenal will be an important early test for Alonso during his time in charge.

Neville said on the Sky Sports podcast: "I think Arsenal will realise that Chelsea's attacking players are better than Aston Villa's, so they have to stay alert and be prepared at all times."

He believes Aston Villa are one of the best-organised teams in the league, while Chelsea's overall organisation and discipline are not as strong as Villa's. However, Chelsea have excellent attacking players, and Arsenal need to remain aware of that threat.

Neville said: "I think Arsenal will win the game, but this will be a very good test for them and a good opportunity to observe Chelsea in the early stages of Alonso's management. This match will tell us a lot about where Arsenal and Chelsea are, because I have them ranked first and second."

Later, Neville gave a specific score prediction on The Overlap: "I predict Arsenal will win 2-0. Arsenal will be fully committed, very strong, and they will play with great aggression."

Neville also believes Arsenal have the ability to continue achieving success in European competitions. He said: "They certainly have the ability to continue challenging for trophies in Europe, because they already proved that last season, and this squad is stronger now."

However, Neville pointed out that Arsenal still need a star striker who can make the difference in the tightest and biggest matches. He believes the absence of such a player could become a problem for Arsenal, but Arsenal are fully capable of continuing to compete for the Premier League and Champions League.