Arsenal vs Liverpool – Match Preview

With games coming thick and fast, Liverpool will travel to North London for their Sunday’s Premier League match against an in-form Arsenal side.

Overview

Liverpool got a comfortable 2-0 win over Rangers in midweek after goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah. At last, the Egyptian King could feel good about being on the scoresheet.

As it stands, Liverpool occupy tenth position in the league table with two games in hand. They are sitting 11 points behind Sunday’s opponent, having still one game in hand.

Roberto Firmino has bagged five goals in six Premier League games which is impressive. He’s our top goal-scorer in the league. Moreover, the Brazilian loves scoring against Arsenal. There is no other team that he’s netted against more.

The north London outfit find this season enjoyable on all fronts. They sit in second spot, two points behind the leaders Manchester City and have one game in hand. So far, they only lost points to Manchester United. They’ve been unbeaten on home ground in this campaign.

Patience, alongside the understanding of the long-term process of building a team presented by Arsenal’s owners has born fruit. Simply put, Arteta needed time and a couple of new faces to put it all together.

The summer newcomer, Gabriel Jesus has been involved in six goals in his eight Premier League games against Liverpool (4 goals, 2 assists).

Head to Head

Liverpool were happy to play against Arsenal in recent years. The last eight meetings between these two at the Emirates Stadium in Premier League have ended in three wins, three draws and two defeats. Mikel Arteta’s side’s most recent win at home came in 2020 during the pandemic when games were played behind closed doors. Reiss Nelson’s first-half goal sealed victory that night.

Team News

Finally, some good news regarding Curtis Jones’ fitness! The born and bread Scouser resumed his traning on Thursday. Given the lenght of the issue and the fact it was his very first traning session at the AXA traning Centre after the injury, his availability for Arsenal is in doubt.

Andy Robertson is progressing with his form after sustaining a knee injury setback against Napoli in the Champions League. He’s edging closer to be back in action.

Elsewhere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita remain sidelined with long-term injuries.

Also, the summer signing Arthur Melo will be out of the contention. No time frame has been set for his comeback, as further assessment is needed. His debut in the league is yet to come.

Meanwhile, the home side will be without Emile Smith Rowe and Mohamed Elneny. The former is recovering from a groin injury, having undergone surgery last month. The latter is out of the eventful encounter due to a hamstring problem. No further absentees are expected within the London’s outfit.

Summary

It’s been a long time since I last was worried about Liverpool’s fitness against Arsenal.

The Reds got off to a bad start to the season, they still haven’t overcome their struggles. On the flip side, the North London side seems flawless and confident. How things change – in former years, the meeting against Liverpool would be viewed as an indicator of progress for Mikel Arteta. This time round, they will like to go all the way and beat the visitors.

If I were to predict a scoreline, I’d go for a draw. However, I hope I’m wrong and Liverpool will be on the winning end.

YNWA