Arsenal have no margin for error! Gunners told Liverpool showdown is 'must-win' in title race just eight games into 2024-25 season

Ahead of Arsenal's home fixture against early pace-setters Liverpool, Reds legend Graeme Souness believes this match could have huge ramifications on the Premier League title race - just eight games into the season. An away win would take Arne Slot's men seven points clear of the Gunners and the Scot believes that could be terminal for the north London side.

He said in a column for the Daily Mail: "We are only eight games into the season, but this already feels like a 'must-win' for Arsenal. It is certainly a bigger game for them than it is Liverpool, in terms of how it impacts their season and their immediate welfare. Lose and they will be seven points behind their opponents and almost certainly six behind Manchester City, who host Southampton on Saturday. Given the fine margins of recent seasons in the title race, that would feel like a big lead to give two excellent rivals. With that there will be talk of their challenge taking a serious dent, and the pressure on the games after — trips to Newcastle and Chelsea — will be huge. A defeat on Sunday would take some recovering from, and they would have to win some very big matches to get people believing again. I'm not sure how some of their players would handle that. But that is the price on the ticket if you're a big player at a big club — deal with it! And the best way to do that? It's very simple: go and beat Liverpool."

Arsenal lost their first game of the Premier League season with a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth last time out. They will be without the suspended William Saliba, the injured Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka may be unavailable, too. They are seeking their first league title since 2004 and if they want to reclaim that prize, winning games like the Liverpool one may be key.

After this tantalising encounter between two Premier League heavyweights, Arsenal round off October with a trip to Championship side Preston North End in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup while Liverpool meet Brighton the same evening.