Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta says the focus remains on his team as they aim to close the gap with Premier League leaders Liverpool ahead of their clash with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday.

The Gunners are currently nine points behind Liverpool, sitting in fifth place with 22 points from 12 games. In contrast, Liverpool are at the top of the league table with 31 points from the same number of matches.

Arteta acknowledges that catching Liverpool will be an extremely difficult task, especially with Arne Slot's side producing strong results.

"If they (Liverpool) continue that way, it's for sure going to be tough (to catch them). The results they're producing, the number of games they're winning—it's impressive. But the focus is just on us," Arteta told football.london.

Heading into the match against the Hammers, Arteta remains optimistic that consistency will be key for his side as they look to build momentum with another win in all competitions.

"If we keep winning games and maintaining consistency in terms of performances, that's going to give us a better chance of success. We need to keep our players available because this is a long season," he said.

Arsenal are expected to be without the services of centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, who limped off during a Champions League match against Sporting CP.

When asked about Gabriel's availability for the West Ham game, Arteta was cautious, saying, "Wait and see."