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Former Tottenham Hotspur icon Rafael van der Vaart has said that Liverpool and not Arsenal will be the closest challengers to Manchester City for the Premier League title.
The Reds have had a perfect start to the season, winning their first three games, as they take on Nottingham Forest on Saturday, September 14.
The Gunners, meanwhile, take on bitter rivals Spurs on Sunday, September 15. They will hope to return to winning ways after drawing level with Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break.
However, winning the clash might prove to be an uphill task for Mikel Arteta's men, as their midfield duo of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard would be unavailable. Rice was sent off in the Brighton game, while club captain Odegaard suffered an ankle injury during the international break.
Van der Vaart believes the Reds have been magnificent so far and look like the only team that could stretch the reigning Premier League champions, telling BetMGM:
"Many think Arsenal will be the ones to serve it up to Manchester City, but I don’t agree. City and Liverpool look the two best sides to me.
"It’s so hard to keep going again and again, season after season, and I look at the Arsenal team in the long-term and worry about them. I can’t see Arsenal winning the Premier League this season."
He added:
"I was really impressed by Liverpool when they beat Manchester United – they looked so stable and everything looked very easy. City are definitely the favourites, but don’t write off Liverpool."
Arsenal could fall five points behind Liverpool and Manchester City if they lose to Spurs
The Gunners may find themselves five points behind the Reds and City should they lose to Spurs and the two other sides win.
Arteta's men might find themselves in an even tougher spot, as they take on the defending champions on Sunday, September 22. Their hopes of winning the Premier League may take a massive dent if they lose both games.
Meanwhile, Spurs will hope to return to winning ways. They drew their first game of the season against Leicester City before decimating Everton 4-0. However, they lost 2-1 to Newcastle United just before the international break.
Tottenham take on Brentford on Saturday, September 21, in their next Premier League game after playing the Gunners.
