Gary Neville says Arsenal could still claw back the gap to Liverpool if captain Virgil van Dijk suffers an injury.

The Sky Sports pundit remains steadfast in backing the Gunners to win the Premier League title this season, despite trailing Arne Slot’s team by nine points and, when asked what could swing things in the London club’s favour, Neville replied:

“Van Dijk. That’s the thing that sticks out for me. That [if] Van Dijk got injured it would be a completely different story.

“That six points [behind] that Arsenal can go to in a couple of days time would dwindle away quite quickly [without Van Dijk]. He’s such an immense player for [Liverpool].”

Arsenal have to focus on themselves

While Neville is right to say that there are scenarios where Liverpool’s form falters, manager Mikel Arteta will know that his team should only be focusing on factors that are within their control.

Heading into Wednesday night’s game against Brentford, Arsenal can still pick up 60 points between now and the end of the season.

If you need to reach the 90-point mark in order to secure 1st place, it doesn’t give Arteta’s men too much room for error. A couple of defeats or three draws is all they can afford between now and May but that isn’t an impossible task.

The odds are firmly stacked in Liverpool’s favour

Of course, based on the two team’s current positions, Arsenal are very much the underdogs. The bookmakers have priced them between 7/2 and 5/1 to win the league.

In contrast, their rivals are currently 1/5 odds-on with some bookies. There is no doubt that it is a steep mountain to climb for the Gunners but a lot can still happen in the second half of the campaign.

Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here