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Martin Odegaard rates Arsenal’s chances of closing 16 point gap on Liverpool


PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 First Leg
Odegaard still believes the title race is on (Picture: NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Martin Odegaard insists Arsenal can still haul back Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.

Liverpool opened up a 16-point lead at the summit of English football on Saturday after coming from behind to beat Southampton at Anfield.

Arsenal have two games in hand over Arne Slot’s side and head to Old Trafford on Sunday to take on Manchester United.

The Gunners saw their title aspirations severely dented by a shock home defeat to West Ham United before a goalless draw away to Nottingham Forest.

Mikel Arteta’s side failed to score in both those games but put seven past PSV Eindhoven in a rampant performance in the Champions League on Wednesday.

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Arsenal finished runners up last season in a battle with Manchester City that went right down to the final day with six wins on the trot not enough to chase down Pep Guardiola’s side.

But Odegaard believes that sort of form shows the gap can be closed if Liverpool do slip up.

PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 First Leg
Arsenal beat PSV 7-1 midweek (Picture: Getty)

‘We’ll fight until the end,’ Odegaard said.

‘That’s the mindset of everyone. We’ve been fighting three years in a row for the title and you go a couple of years back then we were leading with a lot of points and then we finished second.

‘It shows that everything is possible.

‘We’ve put ourselves in a difficult position at the moment but we have to keep going.

‘Hopefully we can – like last year – hit the top form towards the end and then we’ll see where that takes us in the league and also in the Champions League.’

PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 First Leg
Arteta’s side haven’t scored in their last two league games (Picture: Getty Images)

21 points separate United and Arsenal ahead of kick-off with Ruben Amorim’s destined for bottom-half obscurity in the league in what has been another rotten season at Old Trafford.

Amid some woeful results under the Portuguese, United have shown huge resolve away to Manchester City and Liverpool, also knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup at the Emirates.

While United have lost five of their last seven at home in the Premier League, Odegaard is wary of them striking again.

‘They’re not where they want to be in the table and it’s a big club which has struggled a little bit but we know the quality they have when they’re really on it and they have a lot of good individual players that we have to be ready for.

‘But we go there to win and, yeah, we’re Arsenal and we’re not scared. We will go there to win the game.’



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