Arsene Wenger’s side come up against Brighton this weekend (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger should not fall into the trap of resting star players for the visit of Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon, according to Paul Merson.

The Gunners may look at this upcoming game as one of the easier tests they’ll face in the Premier League this season, but Merson has warned they must not get complacent.

The former England international used the example of Liverpool and Tottenham, who recently dropped points at home to Burnley and Swansea City respectively after making wholesale changes to their line ups on the day.

Arsenal haven’t got off to the best of starts this season so cannot afford another slip up this weekend, with Wenger also having the luxury of resting a number of big names in the Europa League on Thursday.

Wenger has been warned not to take Brighton lightly (Picture: Getty)

Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Shkodran Mustafi were the senior players most likely to also feature in the league that started against BATE Borisov, so Merson says that long journey is no excuse for Arsenal.

‘Arsenal’s trip to Belarus in the Europa League should not get in the way of three points against Brighton,’ Merson told Sky Sports.

‘However Arsene Wenger can’t take underestimate Chris Hughton’s side. That’s where some managers are coming unstuck at the moment, taking teams lightly.

Chris Hughton’s side have improved with two wins in their last three games (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal 2017/18 fixtures

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‘We saw that when Tottenham played Swansea at Wembley with Heung-min Son playing left wing-back and Liverpool making six changes against Burnley.

‘You have to play your best team and if they do the Gunners should win easily.’

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