The Premier League season may only be three games old, but Graeme Souness is already calling Sunday's North London derby a must-win game for both teams - particularly Arsenal.
The rivals meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with both having dropped points in their previous league outings and with the Gunners missing Declan Rice due to suspension and sweating on the fitness of Martin Odegaard.
Souness told William Hill’s new podcast, Three Up Front, that Mikel Arteta's men must get something out of the game, and a defeat could put their hopes of winning the Premier League title in jeopardy already.
He said: "This North London derby is a must-win for both Arsenal and Tottenham so early on this season. You can imagine if Arsenal were to lose, that’d be their hopes of winning the league over already.”
It's a sentiment co-host Troy Deeney double-downed on. The former Watford striker agreed with Souness that Arsenal must beat Spurs on Sunday or risk losing ground on champions Manchester City - even at this early stage of the season.
Deeney added: “Arsenal are without Declan Rice and Mikel Merino in midfield on Sunday, which is going to take a massive toll on their squad – this is a must-win game for them.
"Manchester City don’t look like they’re slowing down, they’re getting better and better. They’ve still got the likes of John Stones to add back into the team – their best players are still yet to come.”
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