Liverpool vs Arsenal | Predictions, Stats and Key Players | OneFootball

Liverpool vs Arsenal: Premier League Showdown

Anfield Anticipation

The headline fixture of the pre Christmas Premier League round of games comes at Anfield, as Liverpool welcome Arsenal. They are the current top two in the table and a win for either would confirm their position leading the pack going into Christmas Day. That is often a landmark that converts into title winners, although it didn’t last season for the Gunners. Neutrals will be hoping for plenty of goals and entertainment, but this could be a cagey, tactical affair rather than a game packed with attacking action.

Liverpool’s Mixed Fortunes

It has been a mixed week for Liverpool. They disappointed against Manchester United last weekend and only picked up a point. Although they created plenty of shooting opportunities, there were few clear cut chances and they never really looked like scoring. Jurgen Klopp has been critical of the supporters since, but the performance on the pitch wasn’t the best on that occasion. There may have been some expectancy. However, they have bounced back with a win in mid week to reach the Carabao Cup semi final. That has injected momentum back into the season ahead of the big match on Saturday.

Photo IMAGO

Arsenal’s Away Form Challenge

The one criticism of Arsenal this season is their away form against top six teams. They lost 1-0 against Newcastle and Aston Villa. The Gunners performed better at Villa Park, but were unable to get anything from either game. Mikel Arteta will be hoping for a much better performance at Anfield. Last season, they dropped points when they really should have won the game. Those memories may motivate them on Saturday.

Interesting stats

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last ten home league matches against Arsenal, winning seven of those.

Arsenal haven’t kept a clean sheet in 15 matches against Liverpool in the Premier League, conceding 43 goals in that time.

Key Men

Salah

The attacker is arguably the best player in the division. He is certainly the most complete attacker with his goals and assists. In the last couple of seasons, he has become a much more complete attacker in the way he creates chances for others. His relationship with Darwin Nunez is growing and it could really flourish in 2024. Salah has regularly impacted big matches and Liverpool will be hoping for a few big performances before he goes away on international duty. He has contributed 11 goals and seven assists already this season. Arsenal will know that he is the player to fear in the Liverpool team.

Saka

This is a game where teams need their big players to step up and Bukayo Saka is still the most important attacker in the Arsenal team. The right winger has been very consistent since breaking through under Mikel Arteta and his goal returns have been a big reason why they have challenged at the top of the league. This season, he already has five goals and six assists. It seemed inevitable that he will reach double figures for both for the second successive season. Liverpool are still without Andy Robertson, which means their left side is weakened. Saka will be hoping to expose those concerns on Saturday.

Photo: IMAGO

Team News

It is hoped that Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota are all back in the new year. Joel Matip remains a long term absentee.

Jorginho and Thomas Partey are expected to miss out this weekend, while Takahiro Tomiyasu won’t be available until January.

Verdict

This is going to have huge consequences for the title race. Arsenal need to pick something up on the road against a rival team if they are to seriously emerge as favourites. For Liverpool, there is motivation to bounce back from the disappointing result last weekend. They were poor and expectant against Manchester United. This is a much tougher game and they will be expected to raise their performance. A home win is the most likely result due to Liverpool’s strengths at home, but Arsenal can cause them real problems too.

Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal