The game of the weekend takes place at the Emirates this Sunday as Arsenal host Liverpool in what could be an early-season six-pointer. The Reds have already left the stadium with a win this season after defeating the Gunners 2-0 in the FA Cup.
Arsenal
The Gunners seem to have overcome their slight blip around the end of December, as they’ve now won consecutive Premier League matches. The most recent of those was a narrow 2-1 away victory over Nottingham Forest, with Gabriel Jesus scoring and assisting to claim the three points.
This result put Mikel Arteta’s side third in the table, five points behind this weekend’s opponent in first. A win would see Arsenal close the gap significantly while also potentially upsetting the Reds' morale. The fact that they’ve also only lost once at home in the Premier League should give them confidence to pull off a win.
Nonetheless, Arsenal have been on fire in attack for the most part this season, which is reflected by their average goals per game of 2.00, the joint fourth-best record in the league. They’ve also conceded the second fewest goals, with an average of 0.95 per match.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s recent farewell video seems to have fuelled Liverpool’s charge for the Premier League title even further. The Reds’ dominance in the league started on the first day of the season, and since then, they’ve only lost once in 22 games. Their most recent game was hands-down Liverpool’s best performance of the season, as they destroyed Chelsea 4-1, but in truth, it could have been seven or eight.
That victory helped Klopp’s team maintain their distance from City and Arsenal, who will both be looking to fight for the title at the end of the season. That said, Liverpool’s form will give them full confidence that they can beat the Gunners this weekend, like they did last month.
Liverpool have been excellent at both ends of the field, which has allowed them to stay so consistent. In attack, they net 2.32 goals per game on average, the second-best record, and they’ve only failed to score once all season. They also have the best defence in the league, which has conceded just 0.86 per game.
Verdict?
Arsenal are the favourites for this game according to the odds, but you have to fancy Liverpool picking up another win after Wednesday.
Both teams scoring seems a given, and even without Mohammed Salah, Klopp’s side has looked deadly.
The final prediction is Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool.
