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Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has backed the Gunners to bounce back in their Premier League clash against Liverpool at home on Sunday, October 27. The two teams are currently ranked close to each other in the league table.
Liverpool are leading the standings, with 21 points to their name. On the other hand, Arsenal are in third spot, with 17 points in their kitty. The gap between these two teams and Manchester City, who are second with 22 points, was exacerbated when Mikel Arteta's side lost 0-2 to Bournemouth last weekend.
In an interview with Goal, Parlour stated that Arsenal have what it takes to challenge for the Premier League title. The former midfielder mentioned that the Gunners must not allow Liverpool to run away too far from them since it would create an unhealthy gap that would be hard to cover.
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"Arsenal need to bounce back after the Bournemouth loss. Liverpool are going along pretty nicely at the moment, but they haven’t played anyone massive, aside from Chelsea, without meaning any disrespect to the other sides they have beaten so far," said Parlour.
"If Liverpool win, they'll move seven points clear of Arsenal. You don’t want to be giving away big gaps like that, even this early in the season, but if it does happen, it certainly doesn’t mean Arsenal can’t still win the league. We were 12 points behind at one point in 1997/98 and no one gave us much of chance. We had to go to Old Trafford and beat Manchester United, and we did 1-0," he added.
"Then we went on a 10-game winning streak and ended up securing the league with three games to spare. So I don't think Arsenal will panic whatever happens on Sunday. But from Liverpool's point of view, if they can win, it will only strengthen their belief they are title contenders," he elaborated.
"You can’t change what happened against Bournemouth" - Ray Parlour ahead of Arsenal vs Liverpool
Parlour, who won three EPL titles with Arsenal, knows a thing or two about achieving success in the league. He mentioned that although Liverpool are a side who are firing on all cylinders, Arsenal can take them down a peg or two.
"You can’t change what happened against Bournemouth, but if Arsenal get three points against Liverpool then everyone forgets about that defeat. It’s a big, big game and I expect Arsenal to respond," said Parlour.
Liverpool will create a gap of seven points between themselves and the Gunners if they win on Sunday. The hosts, however, know how to stick to their defensive duties and not allow the Reds too many opportunities in the final third.
