Tim Sherwood has tipped three teams to ‘spoil’ Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge.
Liverpool have opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table but that deficit will be cut to five if Arsenal win their game in hand.
Arne Slot’s side have lost just once in the league this season but have at least given Arsenal title hope by dropping points in two of their last three games.
Liverpool conceded a last-gasp equaliser to draw with Merseyside rivals Everton earlier in the month before drawing 2-2 with Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have won three games in a row, though tougher tests surely await for a team who only have three recognised forwards following Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus’ serious injury setbacks.
Both Sherwood and Danny Murphy believe Arsenal have tougher fixtures on the horizon than Liverpool despite the leaders travelling to Manchester City this weekend.
‘I think if you look at it, Liverpool have got four home games out of the next six and Anfield is a fortress,’ Sherwood told Premier League Productions.
‘I would rather than run. Arsenal have got three and three. Two of those are at [Nottingham] Forest and [Manchester] United.
‘You could argue United have been an easy ride for a lot of teams recently but Man United tend to put up a fight against the bigger teams. They knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup remember.
‘I think although Liverpool have Man City at the weekend, they’ve got better fixtures coming up than Arsenal.’
Sherwood agreed with Murphy’s claim and pointed to Arsenal’s upcoming London derbies against West Ham, Chelsea and Fulham as potential banana skins.
‘I agree, I agree,’ Sherwood said. ‘I look at Arsenal’s fixtures and their home games are London derbies.
‘We know how difficult they can be. Even if it’s not your main rival it’s very difficult because teams take a big following with them.
‘Chelsea at home as well… they can hurt anyone on their day. I know they’re not having a good time of it at the moment but they can beat anyone.
‘When I played and we were going to a team challenging for a title, there was always some extra on the game. You wanted to be a party pooper.
‘As sad as it sounds, that was sometimes the only thing you were playing for, to spoil someone else’s season.
‘Chelsea, West Ham and Fulham will definitely want to spoil Arsenal’s season, they won’t want Arsenal to win the league.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Aston Villa vs Chelsea: Latest team news, predicted lineups and injuries
MORE: Noni Madueke set to miss six Chelsea games including Arsenal clash due to injury
MORE: Enzo Maresca urged to drop Chelsea star for Aston Villa clash
