Dominik Szoboszlai delivers Arsenal reality check ahead of Liverpool clash - 'It's crazy'

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Dominik Szoboszlai insists Liverpool are NOT facing the champions-elect when they lock horns with Arsenal on Thursday, arguing Mikel Arteta's men haven't won anything yet.

The Gunners were seven points clear at the Premier League summit at the start of Wednesday night's games, with Manchester City and Aston Villa ahead of Liverpool , who have 14 fewer points than the league leaders. But even though Szoboszlai concedes it is "crazy" to suggest Liverpool could yet somehow retain their domestic crown, he has warned Arsenal there is still a long way to go before anything is even close to being settled.

The Hungary midfielder said on the eve of Thursday's title showdown: "It's a long way (to go). The Premier League is not easy. You don't win it by January.

"So I don't think we are playing against the champions. They're playing against the champions. And that's probably (something) they know as well, we know as well.

"Of course they are one of the favourites for this year - unbelievable team, really good players. But we shouldn't also forget about Man City, about Villa, who are doing very good. No, we don't play against the champions. They play against the champions."

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After guiding Liverpool to Premier League glory in his maiden season, Arne Slot has endured a challenging 2025-26 campaign. The Dutchman's position had even started to come under scrutiny, though that pressure has lifted more recently.

Despite Liverpool's poor start to the season, the possibility of a renaissance in 2026 has led some to speculate Slot's men could yet make a belated charge to defend their crown. While ruling nothing out, Szoboszlai admits that feels unlikely given the gap between them and Arsenal.

He told Sky Sports : "It's crazy. By February we were 10 points clear. Now, probably because we are so many points behind we can't think in the long-term, we have to think game by game. We have to show game by game we are even able to be in the top four.

"Last year when the manager came in, nobody was really thinking we were going to win it. Then we started very well and we kept on going. If you ask anybody, they'd have never thought we would win the league at the start of that season as the chance was really small.

"Now we started well in the first five games and the luck was on our side with winning in extra time.That showed we were ready again.

"Then sometimes comes a little hit and we didn't react in a way that we should, then it comes again and again. We saw this last season with City. That's the time we have to realise our aim is to go game by game."

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.