Paul Merson says Liverpool might do something that actually helps Arsenal win the Champions League
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Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League this season have faded in recent weeks.
Liverpool have been relentless this season, losing just one match all term, while Arsenal have slipped up on numerous occasions.
Arsenal dropped points against Aston Villa at the weekend, and while Gary Neville thinks Arsenal can win the league, it's an uphill battle from here.
However, it's a different story in the Champions League.
Arsenal remain in the mix in Europe, and in a knockout competition anything can happen, especially when you're a team that's so good defensively and so solid from set-pieces.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Paul Merson has been discussing Arsenal's Champions League chances, and he says that the Gunners could well be contenders in the competition if Liverpool pull away further in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal could win the Champions League if Liverpool pull away in the Premier League
Merson shared his verdict on Arsenal's Champions League hopes.
Owen Hargreaves believes Arsenal can't win the Champions League, but Merson thinks the Gunners have a chance if they can focus fully on Europe.
"They could go a long way, they're a dangerous team," Merson said.
"I think Arsenal are big players, but it all depends on the league. At the moment they're six behind Liverpool and Liverpool have a game in hand and a better goal difference, so, really, it could be 10 points.
"People say there's 16 games to go, there isn't 16 games to go, you probably have seven eight or nine, Liverpool have to play Southampton, Leicester, Wolves, these teams where if they turn up with the right attitude they win them.
"If it gets to a stage where Liverpool are uncatchable then I think Arsenal are massive players in the Champions League, but if they're trying to juggle both at the same time trying to chase Liverpool it might be hard for them to win the Champions League.
Champions League winners analysed
Merson says that Arsenal could be contenders in the Champions League if the title race is done and dusted early on, and there could be something to that.
Indeed, a number of teams who have won the Champions League in recent years haven't had gruelling title races, with the league being sewn up early.
| Season | Champions League winners | How did the title race play out? |
| 2023/24 | Real Madrid | Won the league by 10 points |
| 2022/23 | Manchester City | Won the league by five points |
| 2021/22 | Real Madrid | Won the league by 13 points |
| 2020/21 | Chelsea | Finished fourth, 19 points off the title |
| 2019/20 | Bayern Munich | Won the league by 13 points |
| 2018/19 | Liverpool | Finished second, one point off the title |
| 2017/18 | Real Madrid | Finished third, 17 points off the title |
As the numbers show, Champions League winning sides often aren’t involved in tight title races.
Aside from Liverpool in 2018/19, each of the last seven Champions League winning teams knew their fate in the title race some time before the season was over, and that allowed them to refocus entirely on their European run-in.
If the form book holds up in the Premier League, Arsenal may know their fate by April, and, if that is the case, they could be real contenders in the Champions League.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 50 | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| 2 | ArsenalArsenal | 22 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 43 | 21 | 22 | 44 |
As strange as it sounds, Liverpool’s good form may well help Arsenal win the Champions League this season.
