Arsenal
Arsenal are comfortably the best side in the country right now, and I don’t think that’s a hot take. They’ve won five on the bounce and look particularly unstoppable at home. Their defence is ridiculous - they’ve still conceded just 14 goals all season. Surprisingly, this is not just about the back four; Arsenal control games so well in the middle that teams struggle to even get on attack.
They’re coming off a solid 3-2 win against Bournemouth where Declan Rice was the star, bagging two goals. When Arsenal have a head of steam up like this, I just don’t see anyone stopping them. They play with so much confidence and the crowd at the Emirates will be buzzing too.
Bottom line, I expect them to dominate the ball and wait for Liverpool to make a mistake.
Team News: Cristhian Mosquera and Max Dowman are out. Riccardo Calafiori is in doubt.
Predicted Lineup: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
Liverpool
Liverpool are in a strange space at the moment. They’re fourth and haven’t lost in nine games, but equally, they don’t look as sharp as they used to. Their recent 2-2 draw with Fulham was a big letdown, and now they’ve got a massive injury list as well. Not having Mohamed Salah is a blow for them, given he’s the guy who usually comes through when things get tough.
Still, they’re excelling with the ball this year, averaging over 60% possession. That said, I think they’ll struggle to break down Arsenal without Salah. Their defence has been questionable too, only keeping one clean sheet in their last eight away trips. If they don’t tighten up, it’s safe to say Arsenal will punish them.
Team News: Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic, and Giovanni Leoni are all out. Hugo Ekitike is doubtful.
Predicted Lineup: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Jones; Gakpo.
