Arsenal gear up for one of their toughest and most crucial games of the season as the Premier League leaders face Liverpool on Sunday. Anfield will be the venue for this highly-anticipated clash as the visitors look to end their well-documented hoodoo at Merseyside’s iconic stadium.
Liverpool will be thankful that they’re back to playing on home ground given their atrocious record away from home. In this calendar year, Klopp’s men have played eight Premier League games on the road and have won only once — against 10-man Newcastle — while losing a whopping five times.
The Merseyside giants’ last three games were away from home, losing at Bournemouth and Manchester City before drawing nil-nil at Chelsea most recently. The defeat to Guardiola’s side was the most concerning as Salah and Co. were picked apart by the very same team they used to go toe-to-toe with for the Premier League title.
The Egyptian ace got on the scoresheet but could only watch on as the Reds conceded four times courtesy of goals from Julian Alvarez, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, and Jack Grealish.
Salah was later dropped for the trip to Stamford Bridge alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, and Virgil van Dijk — though the Dutchman was unwell. Unfortunately, those dropped points leave Liverpool in eighth, a whopping 13 points behind the top four.
While the Reds have a game in hand over Newcastle and Manchester United, the hosts have no more wiggle room. In Arsenal, they will be facing the best-performing team in the country this season and will need to bring their A-game if they are to get anything.
However, Klopp’s men boast the third-best home record in the league this season. Anfield is a stadium like no other, and given Arsenal’s horrible record there, Salah and Co. should be feared.
Arsenal, meanwhile, enter this game having witnessed their lead at the top get slashed to five points. With Manchester City beating Southampton 4-1 on Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s men know that they cannot afford to drop points.
The reason is simple: if the Gunners lose at Anfield, Guardiola’s men will control the title race as they would be crowned the champions if they win their remaining ties, including the game in hand and the clash with the North London giants.
Unfortunately, winning at Anfield has proven difficult for Saka and Co. recently. In fact, the last time Arsenal triumphed away to Liverpool in the Premier League was way back in 2012 — their current manager Arteta was their midfielder back then.
Furthermore, the last time the Gunners even picked up a point at Anfield in the Premier League was back in 2016 and they haven’t even scored in their last three visits to Liverpool across all competitions.
Nonetheless, the North London giants enter this clash as the most in-form team in the league, having won their last seven fixtures in a row, a first under the reign of Mikel Arteta. The visitors have conceded two goals since that dramatic last-minute win over Bournemouth but those came in 4-1 triumphs over Crystal Palace and Leeds.
Additionally, it was Saka and Co. that emerged victorious in the last meeting between Arsenal and Liverpool. Bukayo came out of that game with a brace, including the winning goal, as Mikel’s men earned the bragging rights courtesy of a 3-2 victory.
A lot has changed since then. While Liverpool are a lot worse now, the Gunners are in a title race and will be playing at a ground where they have historically struggled at. Who will win this exciting showdown? Make sure to catch the action live.
Team news
Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk has recovered from illness and will feature while Thiago Alcantara and Luis Diaz are back from injuries. However, only the Spaniard looks like he could feature in this tie. Mohamed Salah, who was benched for the Chelsea game, should return to the lineup but Stefan Bajcetic, Calvin Ramsay, and Naby Keita are all out
Arsenal: William Saliba is the club’s biggest worry as the highly-rated Frenchman appears destined to miss this game after suffering a back injury in the UEFA Europa League defeat to Sporting CP. Nketiah is also sidelined while Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu are long-term absentees. It will be interesting to see whether Leandro Trossard will remain in the lineup now that Gabriel Jesus is back and fully fit.
Key stats
- Liverpool have won 16 from the last 18 available points at Anfield.
- Arsenal are on a seven-game winning streak and have scored three or more goals in all but one of those outings.
- The Gunners haven’t won at Anfield in the Premier League since September 2012.
- The Reds have won eight of their last 13 encounters with the North London giants.
Broadcast listings
Liverpool vs Arsenal Broadcast Information
Kick-off time: Sunday 9 April 11:30am ET / 4:30pm BST / 5:30pm CET
Stadium: Anfield (Liverpool)
Australia: Optus Sport
Canada: fuboTV Canada
France: Canal+ France, Free
Germany: Sky Go, WOW, Sky Sport Top Event, Sky Sport Premier League
India: JioTV, Star Sports Select HD2, Hotstar VIP, Star Sports Select 2
Indonesia: Vidio
Malaysia: Astro SuperSport 3, Astro Go, sooka
Netherlands: Viaplay Netherlands
Nigeria: SuperSport MaXimo 1, DStv Now, Canal+ Sport 3 Afrique, SuperSport Premier League Nigeria, SuperSport MaXimo 2
Portugal: Eleven Sports 1 Portugal
Spain: DAZN
Turkey: beIN Sports 3 Turkey, beIN CONNECT Turkey
United Kingdom: SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, NOW, BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Go UK, Sky Sports Main Event
United States: Peacock, SiriusXM FC
Ghana:Dstv Now,Supersport Premier League,Canal+Sports 3
Source:LivesoccerTV
