Friday 3 February 2017 11:25, UK
Arsenal must beat Chelsea in Saturday's Sky Live clash if the Gunners, or any other club, are to remain in the Premier League title race, according to Robert Pires.
The Gunners sit third in the table, nine points behind Antonio Conte's league leaders following Tuesday's surprise 2-1 defeat to Watford.
Pires, who won two Premier League titles during his time at Arsenal and was part of the 'Invincibles' squad of 2003/04, believes Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will be crucial to keeping the title race alive.
"I think this is the last chance for Arsenal and it is a final for the Premier League. If Chelsea beat Arsenal, I think the Premier League is totally finished," Pires told Sky Sports News HQ.
"Chelsea have played well for four months but if Arsenal beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, anything is possible.
"Arsenal will be more concentrated and more focused and when I see [Alexis] Sanchez and [Mesut] Ozil, they can do something at Stamford Bridge."
Arsenal completely outclassed Chelsea in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium in September, picking up a comprehensive 3-0 victory.
Following that defeat, Conte changed Chelsea's formation to a 3-4-3 system and his side have lost just one of their subsequent 17 league games, picking up 15 victories.
For Pires, the battle between joint-Premier League top scorer Diego Costa and Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny is the key match-up on Saturday.
"Laurent Koscielny is a good defender, maybe one of the best defenders in the Premier League," added Pires.
"He's very strong, he's very fast and everybody knows Diego Costa loves to fight, he has scored a lot of goals. So, maybe this is the key for the game."
*Robert Pires and Marcel Desailly were speaking at the TAG Heuer Premier League Pressure Test. TAG Heuer is the first ever Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the Premier League. www.tagheuer.com/pressuretest
