Arsenal players after a draw away to Nottingham Forest
Arsenal have a lot of work to do to catch Liverpool
Former Arsenal star Bacary Sagna believes the Gunners can still catch Liverpool in the Premier League title race... while also tipping Paris Saint-Germain to down Arne Slot's side in Europe.
Liverpool sit 13 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, albeit having played a game more than their closest rivals. They also hold the upper hand over PSG in the Champions League, after Harvey Elliott's late goal gave them a 1-0 first-leg win in the Parc des Princes.
Sagna was part of an Arsenal side that threw away a handsome lead to surrender the league title in the 2007-08 season, though their advantage was only five points when an injury to striker Eduardo derailed their campaign. He has also suffered a Champions League exit at the hands of Ligue 1 opposition when his Manchester City side was stunned by Monaco during Pep Guardiola's first season as manager.
It would take a real collapse for Liverpool to fall away in both competitions. Sagna's prediction is a bold one - especially when one considers Slot's team have lost just once in the league all season - but he has made his case.
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"The season is not over," Sagna told talkSPORT. "It’s going to be difficult to catch Liverpool but when I look at the game they played against Paris Saint Germain, I’m thinking maybe sometimes they’re going to have times where they don’t perform so well, as it was the other night.
‘Maybe this is where Arsenal can maybe catch up and close the gap. The gap is big today but maybe it might be reduced. You never know.
"I believe Paris have a good chance at going through to the Champions League stage so then the vibe will be down. At the minute Liverpool is flying, of course, because of the results that they’re having, but you never know. Football can go very fast and in a split moment they can lose a little advantage they're having today"
Will Liverpool slip up? Have your say in the comments section
Alisson during Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool
Liverpool needed Alisson to be on top form in the first leg of their match against Paris Saint-Germain
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Image:
Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Sagna isn't the only one refusing to consider Liverpool's Champions League tie as a foregone conclusion. PSG recorded 27 shots to Liverpool's two in the first leg, and only a series of big saves from goalkeeper Alisson kept them at bay before Elliott's goal.
"We have nothing to lose," the French club's manager, Luis Enrique, told TNT Sports after the first leg. "Liverpool is the best team in Europe [this] year and today they created one or two chances maximum and we created a lot. I'm very proud of my players, my team, the supporters, and i think that's the key moving forward."
Midfielder Vitinha was even more confident, telling Canal+: “We’re going to win there. With the match we played, the victory was more than deserved. Like at the start of the season, we had lots of opportunities, but we failed to score.”
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