Liverpool-Arsenal is a match of the 18th day of the Premier League and is played on Saturday at 6:30pm: TV, probable formations, predictions.
The highlight match of the pre-Christmas round of the Premier League, the one preceding the traditional Boxing Day, is undoubtedly the one between Liverpool and Arsenal, respectively the second and first in the class, divided by only one point. By the time the whistle blows, however, both the Reds and the Gunners may have been overtaken by Unai Emery’s surprising Aston Villa, third on equal points with Liverpool and on the pitch a day earlier against bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.
Farther away, on the other hand, is City, these days busy in Saudi Arabia with the Club World Cup: the defending champions have braked sharply in the last month, slipping to -4 from Liverpool and -5 from Arsenal. A win, then, while not decisive would be of particularly significant value, although there is still a full round of games to go. Jurgen Klopp’s team dreams of overtaking: it is fresh from a 5-1 thrashing in the League Cup against West Ham that earned it a ticket to the semifinals of the domestic competition. Against the Hammers, Liverpool regained those goals it had suddenly lost last Sunday against Manchester United (0-0): 34 shots were not enough to pierce Onana’s goal. Arsenal, unlike the Reds, had no midweek commitments, having the privilege after a busy tour de force to focus only on the big match at Anfield Road.
Liverpool still unbeaten at Anfield
Mikel Arteta’s men’s last outing was on Sunday, with the Basque coach prevailing over fellow Brighton coach De Zerbi, who was beaten 2-0 at Emirates Stadium.
(Havertz IlVeggente.it (Ansa)
The Gunners’ home is confirmed as a fortress: at home Arsenal has never lost in this league, totaling 7 wins and 2 draws. Less well away, where Odegaard and his teammates’ only two defeats have come. The problem, for Arteta, is that Liverpool also has an almost immaculate performance at home: seven wins and one draw in front of their home crowd. Last season the two teams did not skimp on spectacle: in London Arsenal prevailed 3-2, while in the return Liverpool failed to avenge the first leg defeat, settling for a point (2-2).
The prediction
It will be a chess match, like any self-respecting summit clash. However, it is hard to imagine a defeated Liverpool, since at home so far it has almost bordered on perfection. The record, then, smiles on Klopp, who at Anfield has never lost to Arsenal. Beware, however, of giving up on the Gunners, who have conceded fewer goals away than anyone else.
Liverpool-Arsenal
likely lineups.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endo, Jones; Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.
ARSENAL (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2
