Jamie Carragher has suggested that Manchester City and Arsenal’s results against Liverpool over the next nine days could go a long way towards determining the destiny of the Premier League title race.
The Reds have often gone toe to toe with Pep Guardiola’s side for the trophy in recent years, but amid their disappointing campaign, it is now Mikel Arteta’s team who are vying with the reigning champions.
Jurgen Klopp and co visit the Etihad Stadium today with a chance to prevent City from closing the eight-point gap to the Gunners, who then travel to Anfield on Easter Sunday hoping for a first win inside 90 minutes at the venue since 2012.
In his latest column for The Telegraph, Carragher claimed that Liverpool could be the biggest test remaining for the title-chasing duo, aside from when they face each other later this month.
He wrote: “For all Liverpool’s difficulties this season, aside from when City and Arsenal play each other, they are the greatest challenge remaining in the league.
“It was City who ended Liverpool’s quadruple hopes a year ago. Jürgen Klopp will be desperate to put a dent in Guardiola’s treble push this time.
“This will not be how Klopp wanted or planned it, but the logic over the next two weeks is not dissimilar as in previous years for those wanting to celebrate in May.
“Whichever side beats Liverpool will feel like they are a step closer to winning the league. If City succeed and Arsenal do not, the treble talk will get louder.”
READ MORE: City, Chelsea and Arsenal; three games that ‘define the season’ – Alexander-Arnold
READ MORE: (Video) Klopp says Bentley-like star is in a ‘good way’ but won’t feature against City
Even though the current top two are enjoying a much better season than Liverpool, both may be wary of their respective upcoming fixtures against the Reds.
Klopp’s side actually have quite a good recent record against City, whose 3-2 Carabao Cup victory just before Christmas was their first in six games against us and ended a run of three consecutive LFC victories over Guardiola’s men. (Transfermarkt)
As for Arsenal, many of their trips to Anfield over the past decade have ended in emphatic defeats, with two 5-1s and two 4-0s since they last won a league match at the venue in the early weeks of 2012/13, albeit that they defeated us in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium six months ago. (Transfermarkt)
Both title chasers may well regard Liverpool as a significant obstacle to overcome if they can claim victory against the Reds, especially with the top two facing each other at the Etihad towards the end of this month.
For Klopp and his players, though, they’ll simply be focused on going all-out for results which they hope will propel them into the top four on the final Premier League standing.
We could yet have a telling indirect impact on the title race, but we’ve our own battle to fight further down the table, so both City and Arsenal can expect us to give them a stern test over the next few days.
Indeed, the Gunners are the only team ahead of us in the current standings who we haven’t yet defeated this season, so Liverpool can certainly still pull off a big result against the division’s leading lights.