Paul Scholes perfectly sums up Liverpool's title hopes with Arsenal comparison

Paul Scholes believes Pep Guardiola will be more worried about Liverpool than Arsenal in the Premier League title race this season.

The two sides meet each other on Sunday as Arne Slot is presented with his toughest test yet. The Dutchman has enjoyed a sensational start to his tenure at Anfield, having led the Reds to the top of the table while winning all but one of his 12 games in charge across all competitions.

This weekend’s encounter at the Emirates though will be a serious examination of Liverpool’s title credentials - even if Mikel Arteta is without some of his biggest names.

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The Gunners will definitely be missing defender William Saliba through suspension and Martin Odegaard through injury, while it’s also looking like Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori could miss out, having not been spotted in training on Friday.

Nevertheless, Arsenal has been widely tipped to be Manchester City’s closest challenger for the title again this season, with some, like Gary Neville, even backing them to beat Guardiola’s side to the prize this time.

Scholes though thinks differently. The former Manchester United midfielder doesn’t believe Arsenal’s squad stands up to Liverpool’s, pointing to the Reds’ midfield as an indication of how Slot’s side is in a better position to challenge City.

“Although they [Liverpool] have still got six again [midfielders], any three of the six could play who can be brilliant, [Alexis] Mac Allister didn’t play at the weekend – how good has he been?” Scholes told the Stick to Football podcast.

“I think Liverpool’s squad is better than Arsenal’s. I think Guardiola will be more worried about Liverpool than he is about Arsenal.”

Liverpool.com says: We’ll wait and see what happens on Sunday before making any judgments on Liverpool and Arsenal. We certainly don’t want to jinx anything before such a crucial game!

You’d have to say though, there is a lot more on the line for the Gunners than the Reds. If the hosts lose, they’ll be seven points behind Liverpool – even a draw wouldn’t be a great result for them, considering they’re three behind City at the moment, and Guardiola’s side will be expected to pick up all three points on Saturday against Southampton.

It is still very early in the season, but considering how many points you need to win the Premier League nowadays, falling so far behind your rivals can leave you playing catch-up for a long time. Liverpool will know it can lay down a huge marker on Sunday.