Arsenal and Liverpool still have 16 games remaining in the 2023-24 Premier League season, but will Sunday's clash between them at the Emirates Stadium be a season-defining one in the title race?
Liverpool are at the top of the table with a five-point difference over second-place Manchester City and third-place Arsenal.
Arsenal finished second in the 2022-23 season and were top of the table for most of the season.
manager Manager Jurgen Klopp leaves Liverpool They aim to win their second league title at the end of the season.
Sunday's match (16:30 GMT) will be the third meeting between the two clubs of the 2023-24 season. Arsenal take 1 point When the two faced each other in the Premier League in December, Liverpool won 2-0 in the third round of the FA Cup last month.
“We just want to play the best season we can,” Klopp said.
“Arsenal, if they beat us, they will definitely be there. There are still a lot of games left and people already want to judge.
“We're going to do the best we can for all the guys who want to finish the season above us. Let's see if we can do that.”
Klopp has admitted striker Darwin Nunez is doubtful after sustaining a leg injury in Wednesday's match. 4-1 win over Chelsea However, he said they now have the “luxury issue” of having multiple players fit and available to fill each position for the first time this season.
Arsenal will once again be without Thomas Partey after the Ghanaian midfielder suffered a 'setback' in his recovery from a thigh injury.
Speaking about the challenge of playing against Liverpool, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta said: “We are playing at home and what I feel is the positivity and enthusiasm from the crowd.
“We've had some big experiences and what we did last year was a big step. We want to do even better this year.”
Arteta, on the other hand, downplayed the importance. Heated argument between defenders Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White After Tuesday's 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest, he claimed it happened simply because they had a “great relationship”.
Will Arsenal be eliminated from the title race if they lose?
Liverpool have only lost once in the Premier League this season, and Wednesday's win against Chelsea gave them their fourth straight win, extending their unbeaten run in the top flight to 15 games.
A fifth straight win on Sunday would leave Arsenal, who last won the Premier League title in 2003-04, eight points behind with 15 games remaining.
Only six teams (including teams with games in hand) have won the Premier League title from such a position after 23 games or more, and one of those was last season.
Manchester City were eight points behind the Gunners with one game remaining after 28 games, and won the title with three games remaining.
“Liverpool are mean”
Klopp took over as Liverpool manager in October 2015 and won six major trophies in the 2019-20 season, including ending a 30-year wait for the top flight title.
The German will leave this summer after almost nine years in the dugout, but former Blackburn striker Chris Sutton feels it will give the players extra motivation. .
“If Liverpool go there and win, it looks like they have a chance of going all the way,” Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We all know what happens at the end of the season and they have a cause to play for. They want to send the manager off with a Premier League title and they are really serious about it.”
Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiotto labeled the encounter an “almost a must-win” as Arsenal kept up the pressure.
“If we have a five-point difference at the moment, it's almost like a must-win for Arsenal, because if they don't then they [Liverpool] We are getting too far ahead of ourselves,” Melchiotto told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I don't see Liverpool collapsing quickly, especially with the way Jurgen Klopp has built his team.”
