Cesc Fabregas has offered Arsenal an ominous warning as they prepare to face Liverpool in what could prove a title-deciding Premier League tie on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta's side have the opportunity to make up crucial ground in the race for the top spot, and overleap Manchester City in second place, should they beat Jurgen Klopp's visitors to the Emirates.
But should Liverpool seal the away win, all three points will put them out temporarily out of sight at the summit of the table - and eight points clear of Arsenal, who are desperate to end their 20-year league drought after falling painfully short at the tail end of last season.
The Gunners will be keen to forget their last meeting at the north London ground, which saw the hosts knocked out of the FA Cup in their tournament opener after falling to a 2-0 defeat.
But Fabregas was quick to remind to Arteta and his players of the high stakes around the match at this point in the season.
‘I think knowing Mikel a little bit that he will want to win. It’s a big opportunity for them to just close the gap,' Fabregas told BBC’s Planet Premier League podcast.
‘From my opinion, I would say that they will really go for it and they will try to close the gap as soon as possible because now it’s starting to be the time where the Premier League gets decided. Who will be the last two or three teams at the top until the end?
‘Arsenal cannot afford to drop any more points. It is early in the season but it’s where you’re starting to see or feel who the real champions are. Who are the ones who will be able to hold on until the end or not?’
Fabregas was also wary of the intent in his old side's opponents in the wake of the announcement of Jurgen Klopp's departure at the end of the season.
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