Arsenal take on Liverpool with a rather large early-season opportunity in hand. Manchester City lost yesterday. The Reds are six points back. The Gunners can retake sole possession of the top spot in the Premier League and stretch the gap to Liverpool. All they have to do is win at Anfield. Easy, right?
I suspect y’all are well aware of Arsenal’s recent history away to Liverpool. It ain’t good, particularly in the league. The Gunners have not won at Anfield since 2013, when Mikel Arteta was on the pitch
not in the technical area. On the other hand, Arsenal have lost just once in their last eight PL matches against Liverpool.
The match will likely come down to two things. Can Arsenal turn their (likely) midfield control into meaningful possession to break down Liverpool’s defense? Will Liverpool create enough quick-developing attacks / breaks / chaos to unsettle Arsenal’s stout defense?
Arsenal’s bane, Alexander Isak, seems to have found his groove at Anfield after an injury plagued first season with the Reds. He’s scoring a goal every 95 minutes. Liverpool have improved their defensive play, too. They opened the season with back-to-back 2-2 draws but have kept four clean sheets in six matches since the start of September, most in the league.
On the Arsenal side of things, Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice are numbers one and two in the Premier League for line-breaking passes. That hasn’t translated into bunches of goals. The Gunners have had a decent number of matches with plenty of chances, but conversion has been an issue.
Arsenal are more than a bit thin on the wings right now. Mikel Arteta said it “looks like” Bukayo Saka will miss out on England duty during the next international break, so November 21st against Newcastle is the earliest we might see him back. The club are still assessing the extent of the injury but have reportedly ruled out significant damage. Max Dowman is suspended for three matches following his red card against Fleetwood Town. Noni Madueke has an ankle problem that has kept him out of full training all week, but he was spotted with the squad on their usual prematch walk. Both Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis returned to full training late in the week, so they’re likely to be available. Declan Rice should be good to go. William Saliba is still working back from his long-term back issue.
Liverpool will be without Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni, all of whom are still recovering from last season’s injuries. Jeremie Frimpong is out until after the November break with a muscular injury. Jeremy Jacquet missed training on Friday. Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz “have a chance” to feature, according to Andoni Iraola.
Remember that clocks turned back in the U.S. overnight, so make sure yours properly updated automatically. Don’t miss the first half!
Lineups will be posted when available.
WHO: Arsenal at Liverpool
WHAT: Premier League MD9
WHERE: Anfield, Liverpool
WHEN: Sunday, November 1st, 8:30 am PT | 11:30 am ET | 4:30 pm GMT
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming on Peacock
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