Liverpool receive major Premier League title boost as Arsenal and Mikel Arteta watch on

In their Premier League title fight with Arsenal, Liverpool have been granted a boost with captain Virgil van Dijk returning early from international duty this month.

During their recent sequence in the 2024/25 campaign, Mikel Arteta's side played out a tight 2-2 draw with their Merseyside rivals in north London. For the hosts, it turned out to be one of several disappointing results in recent weeks, while for Liverpool it was a second 'blip' in an otherwise perfect run.

They now sit top of the Premier League, five points clear of second place Manchester City and nine above fourth place Arsenal. But Arne Slot has had a luxury that Arteta has not been afforded at all so far this season - being able to select his strongest XI regularly.

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And that is set to continue beyond the break as the Netherlands have granted Arsenal's rivals another boost.

It has been confirmed that Van Dijk has been allowed an early leave of absence from his international duties this month. This comes after he played the entirety of Saturday night's 4-0 win against Hungary - leaving the Dutch in prime position to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals.

In a quote posted by Netherlands' official social media accounts, boss Ronald Koeman said: "For both Frenkie [de Jong] and Virgil it is better for them to leave the training camp at this moment.

"That decision was taken on medical grounds, with of course the interest of the players coming first."

That means van Dijk will have extra days to rest before returning to Liverpool training this week. As the Gunners prepare to play Nottingham Forest this weekend, the team positioned where they want to be travel to currently rock-bottom Southampton.

Additional rest should serve Van Dijk well for tough matches - after that - against Real Madrid in the Champions League, then City, Newcastle and Everton back in Premier League action.

Arsenal will ultimately, hope the Reds start to drop points as the pressure mounts, while they aim to make up for lost ground in upcoming fixtures against West Ham, Manchester United and Fulham.