Thommo: They're the best in the league
Liverpool legend Phil Thompson believes there is no finer pairing in the Barclays Premier League at the moment than Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
The duo were unplayable as the Reds demolished West Brom at Anfield on Saturday - with Suarez firing a sublime hat-trick to spark the rout before Sturridge netted a sensational 20-yard chip.
In the 16 games together since Sturridge's arrival from Chelsea in January, the two have plundered an impressive 21 goals.
Thompson insists their instinctive combination marks them out as the league's strongest duo - and backed them to excel against Arsenal at the weekend.
"If the two strikers can continue their recent form then we'll have a great chance [against Arsenal]," Thompson told the Liverpool Echo.
"There isn't a better front two in the Premier League at the moment. People say what about Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney? Rooney is playing well but van Persie hasn't been great.
"It's not just about the goal return of Suarez and Sturridge, it's how they link up and work so hard for the team.
"There's the step-overs, the one-twos; one drops off, one goes in behind - there's a great understanding between them.
"When you've got those two up front you'll always have a chance of winning games and if they keep playing like they will take some stopping.
"Per Mertesacker has done well for Arsenal. He's been a bit of a Sami Hyypia for them as he reads the game well.
"But if Sturridge gets one on one with him I fancy him to do what he did to Carlos Cuellar at Sunderland when he burst past him and set up the goal for Suarez."
The lethal link-up play of Suarez and Sturridge has invited comparisons to the original 'SAS' partnership - that of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton - who fired Blackburn to the title in 1994-95.
Under the stewardship of Reds legend Kenny Dalglish, Shearer netted 34 goals in the league, while his partner Sutton added another 15 to that tally.
Thompson can see parallels between the two pairs - but he's determined to retain a sense of perspective with regards to Liverpool's aims for the season.
"Luis and Daniel have been dubbed the SAS and dare I say it there are similarities," he said.
"The Shearer and Sutton strike-force was the difference for Blackburn in 1994-95. They are the only team to win the Premier League title who didn't have a good goal return from midfield.
"Manchester United have always had a strong return from midfield, the great Arsenal teams had the likes of Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg, while Chelsea have had Frank Lampard.
"Blackburn showed what can be achieved when you've got two main strikers working well together and scoring goals.
"It's too premature to talk about whether Liverpool are genuine contenders as there's only a quarter of the season gone.
"The key is going to be keeping all our best players out there playing. We've got a really good group of 13 or 14 players and having Philippe Coutinho back is a big boost, but you need them all fit so you've got options on the bench to be able to change games."