Szoboszlai Issues Title Caution to Arsenal as Merson Backs Gunners to End Liverpool's Fading Challenge

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai has thrown down a marker ahead of Thursday evening's encounter with Premier League leaders Arsenal, urging the Gunners not to get ahead of themselves in the title race.

What was billed as a potential title decider between these two sides has taken on a rather different complexion this season. Arsenal have established themselves as clear frontrunners for the crown, whilst Liverpool—defending champions no less—find themselves battling merely to secure a Champions League berth rather than retain their throne.

With Manchester City having drawn against Brighton on Tuesday, victory for Arsenal would stretch their advantage to eight points at the summit.

Yet Szoboszlai isn't ready to concede. "It's a long way," the Liverpool midfielder told Sky Sports. "The Premier League is not easy and you don't win it by January, I don't think so. They are playing against the champions. They know as well, they are one of the favourites and an unbelievable team with unbelievable players. They can't forget about City and Villa, they are doing really well."

The Hungarian international drew on Liverpool's own experience from last season, when they held a commanding position before things unraveled. "If I go back to last year, by February we were 10 points clear and I was still saying we have not won it yet. But inside, I was like, this is the chance," he reflected.

"Now probably, because we are so many points behind, we can't think long term. Dream, we can talk about it, but we have to think game by game and have to perform to show we can even be in the top four. We need things to go our way, why not?"

Pundit Paul Merson, however, sees little hope for the Reds on Merseyside. The former Arsenal man has predicted a 3-1 victory for the Gunners and is struggling to see how Liverpool avoid a heavy defeat.

"If you're Arsenal, it's a brilliant time to be playing Liverpool," Merson wrote. "Something is just not right at Liverpool and I can't see them getting a result here."

The stark nature of Liverpool's decline is underscored by Merson's remarkable assertion: "It's weird but I'd be more shocked if Liverpool won at Arsenal than Wolves or Leeds winning their games away from home this gameweek."

Arsenal's squad depth, he added, remains their greatest asset. "Arsenal's B team can cause 99 per cent of the sides in this league a problem. That's how good they are as a squad," Merson concluded.

Should the Gunners prevail, Merson believes Liverpool's title hopes will effectively be extinguished.