Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 31/20
Bookmaker: Unibet
Every Premier League match is interesting in its own right, for one thing or another, whether you like seeing Manchester City hitting six past the opposition, a late Spurs winner, Brentford putting four past Manchester United, or a good old-fashion mid-table battle, or even a fight to avoid relegation. But there can be very little doubt that the most interesting clash in the English top flight this weekend will be the one played at the Emirates on Sunday, when Arsenal play host to Liverpool.
Arsenal
It has been a tough battle for the Gunners to return to where they believe they belong – in the top bracket in the Premier League, and it seems sticking with Mikel Arteta at the helm of the team and Edu managing their transfer activities has started producing notable results. Erling Haaland is the player everyone talks about these days and for good reason too, but it’s not his Manchester City topping the table – it’s Arsenal.
Going into the round, the Gunners lead the way with 21 points, one point ahead of City, but the defending champions are odds-on to overtake them by beating Southampton on Saturday. A win in this clash would obviously reinstate Arteta’s team at the top. Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur are third on 17. Meanwhile, Arsenal lead the way in their Europa League group as well, where they and PSV Eindhoven in second even have a game in hand on Bodo/Glimt and Zurich below.
The only match the Gunners failed to win so far in either competition was the 3-1 loss away to Manchester United, and the remaining five of their last six games were wins 2-1 at home over Aston Villa, 1-2 away to Zurich, 0-3 away to Brentford, 3-1 home win in the North London Derby over Spurs, and a 3-0 one home triumph over Bodo/Glimt.
Team News
Arteta cannot call upon midfielder Mohamed Elneny or Emile Smith Rowe through injury, but as neither would be likely to start against Liverpool anyway, their absence doesn’t seem too troublesome for the Gunners at the moment.
The boss rotated his team significantly in midweek, but now, Ben White and William Saliba are likely to return and join Gabriel Magalhaes and Kieran Tierney in the back line, protected by the duo of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in the middle of the park. Martin Odegaard will probably get the nod ahead of Fabio Vieira as the No. 10, and Gabriel Jesus should be flanked by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli upfront.
Liverpool
It may have been a dream start for Arsenal this season, but that’s certainly not the case for Liverpool, who have so far won only twice in the league despite having played seven matches. With a game in hand on most of the league, the Merseysiders are currently ninth with just 10 points, and if they are to salvage anything from the campaign, they cannot afford to leave the Emirates with anything less than three points in their bag. That, however, won’t be so easy this time.
The Reds seem to be doing well in the Champions League at the moment, following a severe mauling at the hands of Napoli in the opening match, and they currently trail the Serie A leaders, sitting above Ajax and Rangers.
It should be said that numerous injuries, mostly in the midfield section, have been hampering the Merseysiders’ efforts since the start, but also that most of the absent players are approaching the moments of return to action. Nonetheless, the fact that most of the players fit and named to start in games haven’t been performing anywhere near their usual levels cannot be disguised or excused.
Liverpool’s last-six run consists of a 2-1 home win over Newcastle, a goalless draw in the Merseyside Derby away to Everton, the 4-1 defeat away to Napoli, a 2-1 home win over Ajax, a disappointing 3-3 draw at home against Brighton and Hove Albion, and a 2-0 home win over Rangers this week.
Team News
First of all, it will be interesting to see if Jurgen Klopp sticks with the 4-2-3-1 formation which worked very well against Rangers on Tuesday, or reverts to the 4-3-3 he’s been using for years now and which hasn’t exactly brought them joy this season.
As for the unavailable players, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones are missing from the midfield section, as well as Andy Robertson from the left defensive flank. Arthur Melo is likely to miss out as well, having picked up a muscle problem in training ahead of the Rangers clash, and when Klopp last spoke on the subject, further assessments were to be made.
Fabinho is expected to return to the lineup, having started on the bench against Rangers, regardless of the formation Klopp chooses. If it’s 4-2-3-1, it’ll be either Thiago Alcantara or Jordan Henderson by his side, and if it’s 4-3-3, he could be accompanied by both. Young Harvey Elliott will also be hoping to be named. Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah are nailed on to start on the attacking flanks.
Conclusion
After a long, long time, Arsenal are once more considered favourites to beat Liverpool, but that assessment is obviously based on the form we’ve seen from the two teams this term.
Liverpool could, of course, get their act together and start looking like the team that finished second, won both cups and reached the Champions League final last season again, and it that case, the Gunners better be ready for a storm. However, that really doesn’t look too likely right now, at least not to the full extent.
Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 31/20
Bookmaker: Unibet
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