Arsenal have spent the past month chasing Liverpool as the Gunners saw their lead atop the Premier League standings usurped by the Reds over the holiday season.
Along with Manchester City, Arsenal present the biggest challenge to Liverpool's title hopes this season, but the North London side have found making up ground on Jurgen Klopp's side a tough challenge as the leaders have lost just one league match so far into the campaign.
Arsenal now face a massive opportunity as they host Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, in a match that could go a long way towards defining whether Mikel Arteta's men are genuine challengers for the title or just merely also-rans.
One former Arsenal player is urging his old side to treat Sunday's match with utmost importance, as William Gallas has told Genting Casino that this game is as close to a must-win as an encounter in February can be.
"This is a huge game for Arsenal," Gallas said. "For Arsenal the message before this one is very simple. If they still want to have the hope that they can win the Premier League this season, then they can’t lose this match.
"They have to take something from this game at the Emirates on Sunday. They must try and take the three points and they will need to be at their best to do it. This is a really big game for Arsenal’s Premier League season."
While the best result for Arsenal would be to take all three points, Gallas believes a draw would still be acceptable. The retired defender notes that Liverpool could be vulnerable due to missing their injured talismanic striker.
"A draw wouldn’t be a disaster for Arsenal," he said. "At the moment, Liverpool look really good, but I think Arsenal has a good opportunity and they must take advantage of the fact that Mohammed Salah will not be available.
"For me, Liverpool doesn’t have the same impact without Salah. They may have won their last few games, but they are a much more dangerous team with Salah in it. Arsenal need to capitalise on his absence."
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