Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes keeping star striker Fernando Torres fighting fit is the key to Liverpool's chances of sustaining their Barclays Premier League title challenge.
Torres has not played since the end of November because of a hamstring problem and will again sit out Sunday's trip to Emirates Stadium.
Reds boss Rafael Benitez, though, hopes the five-goal former Atletico Madrid front man can return by the start of the new year.
Wenger is in no doubt of the threat a fully-fit Torres would pose to any side.
"If you ask them, they will want Torres on the pitch so they will not be stronger without Torres in the long term," said the Gunners boss.
"In the short term, sometimes you can stay without your stronger players - but if that should last until March or April of course it will be detrimental to their chances.
"I believe if it is only a hamstring problem he will back in January."
The Gunners head into the encounter looking for a clean sweep of victories over their likely title rivals.
Despite failing to build on the win over Chelsea by dropping points at Middlesbrough last weekend, Arsenal got lucky as all of the teams above them also drew.
However, with a resurgent Aston Villa - whom the Gunners face away on Boxing Day - now ahead of them in fourth spot, Wenger knows the margins for further error are all but gone.
"We are highly motivated to beat another of the so-called top four, and I am convinced we have the quality to do it," he said.
The Arsenal manager rejected suggestions revenge would be on the agenda following their controversial exit in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
"It is an opportunity for us to catch them which we want to take, that is all," Wenger said, his team eight points off the pace.
"At the moment the race is still very tight because it looks for me, for the first time in six or seven years, that the number of points for the winner of this league will be much lower than usual because everybody drops points against everybody.
"For us the first step is to get back into the race, and to get back into the race the important thing is for us to beat Liverpool."
Wenger maintains the boardroom changes earlier this week - which saw majority shareholder Lady Bracewell-Smith, who owns a 15.9% stake and whose family has a long association with the Barclays Premier League club, voted out following a disagreement over the club's future direction - will have "no impact" on his duties.
The Gunners boss has been pledged funds should he wish to enter the transfer market in January.
However, Wenger maintained: "I have not found anyone special yet and I have not seen anyone special yet.
"More than any special position I am looking at opportunities, but at the moment I am more focused on getting this team to where I feel it can be and proving to people that this team deserves confidence and belief in them because I strongly believe that without buying, we can do it.
"That's what I want to show until 1 January and start to convince people that it is not necessarily in the transfer market that will we get back in the race.
"It is with our quality, our belief, our commitment."
Torres has not played since the end of November because of a hamstring problem and will again sit out Sunday's trip to Emirates Stadium.
Reds boss Rafael Benitez, though, hopes the five-goal former Atletico Madrid front man can return by the start of the new year.
Wenger is in no doubt of the threat a fully-fit Torres would pose to any side.
"If you ask them, they will want Torres on the pitch so they will not be stronger without Torres in the long term," said the Gunners boss.
"In the short term, sometimes you can stay without your stronger players - but if that should last until March or April of course it will be detrimental to their chances.
"I believe if it is only a hamstring problem he will back in January."
The Gunners head into the encounter looking for a clean sweep of victories over their likely title rivals.
Despite failing to build on the win over Chelsea by dropping points at Middlesbrough last weekend, Arsenal got lucky as all of the teams above them also drew.
However, with a resurgent Aston Villa - whom the Gunners face away on Boxing Day - now ahead of them in fourth spot, Wenger knows the margins for further error are all but gone.
"We are highly motivated to beat another of the so-called top four, and I am convinced we have the quality to do it," he said.
The Arsenal manager rejected suggestions revenge would be on the agenda following their controversial exit in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
"It is an opportunity for us to catch them which we want to take, that is all," Wenger said, his team eight points off the pace.
"At the moment the race is still very tight because it looks for me, for the first time in six or seven years, that the number of points for the winner of this league will be much lower than usual because everybody drops points against everybody.
"For us the first step is to get back into the race, and to get back into the race the important thing is for us to beat Liverpool."
Wenger maintains the boardroom changes earlier this week - which saw majority shareholder Lady Bracewell-Smith, who owns a 15.9% stake and whose family has a long association with the Barclays Premier League club, voted out following a disagreement over the club's future direction - will have "no impact" on his duties.
The Gunners boss has been pledged funds should he wish to enter the transfer market in January.
However, Wenger maintained: "I have not found anyone special yet and I have not seen anyone special yet.
"More than any special position I am looking at opportunities, but at the moment I am more focused on getting this team to where I feel it can be and proving to people that this team deserves confidence and belief in them because I strongly believe that without buying, we can do it.
"That's what I want to show until 1 January and start to convince people that it is not necessarily in the transfer market that will we get back in the race.
"It is with our quality, our belief, our commitment."
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