Preview: Arsenal vs Liverpool – stats, team news, line-ups
The Emirates Stadium forms the backdrop for Sunday’s box office Premier League encounter as Arsenal host Liverpool in a high-stakes title race showdown.
Both sides head into the Premier League contest with narrow 1-0 wins against Ukrainian giants Shakthar Donetsk and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, respectively.
Arsenal have been rattled by a shocking defeat at the hands of AFC Bournemouth, which threatens to derail their Premier League title ambitions.
With Liverpool looking nearly unbeatable, another defeat for the Gunners could all but end their aspirations, so the importance of winning Sunday’s Clash of the Titans is not lost on Mikel Arteta and his troops.
Arsenal have much riding on the Liverpool clash. They’ll welcome the league leaders, knowing anything but a victory could send them crashing out of the title race after just nine games.
Given the importance of the match, Arsenal vs Liverpool tickets could be pricey on most marketplaces, but fans can purchase them from Seatsnet.com at the best rates.
Match Preview
Arsenal recorded their first defeat of the 2024/25 season, falling on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline against Bournemouth on the south coast.
Both sides traded attacks in the opening stages of the game, but the key turning point came at the half-hour mark when William Saliba was handed his marching order for a professional last-man foul on Evanilson.
It marked the third time that the Gunners have had a man sent off in the Premier League this season after Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard saw red against Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City.
On both occasions, Arteta’s side showed plenty of resilience to snatch a point and even came agonisingly close to beating the reigning champions until they were undone by a last-minute goal from John Stones.
However, their luck ran out on the South Coast, as goals from Ryan Christie and a late penalty from Justin Kluivert ended their ten-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Before the defeat to Bournemouth, Arsenal had gone 16 games across all competitions without a loss. But they wasted no time kickstarting another streak after edging Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
It was far from a vintage display from the Gunners, but an own goal from Shakthar shot-stopper Dmytro Riznyk just before the half-hour mark proved to be the difference between both sides.
Tuesday’s victory means Arsenal have now taken seven points from a possible nine, having settled for a goalless draw against Atalanta before claiming a 2-0 win over French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners sit ninth in the Champions League table and will be keen to build on that victory when they host Liverpool in a high-stakes clash on Sunday.
Like their Premier League rivals, Liverpool also head to the Emirates on the back of a fortuitous 1-0 win over Leipzig, maintaining their perfect record on the continental stage.
The Reds were overwhelming favourites to emerge with maximum points, especially after their 2-1 Premier League win against Chelsea, but it was far from a cakewalk for Arne Slot’s side.
Liverpool were far from their sparking best in Germany, but Darwin Nunez’s 27th-minute strike, coupled with a strong display from the backline, helped Slot’s side eke out a narrow win.
The win marked a new club record for Liverpool. They’ve now won their first six away games of the season across all competitions for the first time in the club’s history.
Slot will love nothing more than to extend his historic start to life at Liverpool even further as his side head to the Emirates on the back of an eight-match winning streak.
What should worry Arsenal more is that Liverpool run a tight ship at the back and rarely give anything away, which explains why they’ve only conceded three goals in the Premier League.
Arsenal must find a way to breach Liverpool’s nearly impenetrable rearguard in order to stand a chance of coming away with maximum points on home turf.
Liverpool are flying under Slot’s leadership, winning 11 of their 12 games in the new era, and another win this weekend will open up a seven-point gap ahead of Arsenal at the summit.
Team news
Liverpool’s visit couldn’t have come at a worse time for Arsenal, as they’re still without skipper Martin Odegaard.
Saliba has now joined the list of absentees, with the France international serving a three-match suspension after seeing a red card against Bournemouth.
Both players are key to Arteta’s set-up, but the headache doesn’t stop there for the Spanish tactician, who may also have to face Liverpool without Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori, and Jurrien Timber.
Arteta could consider a few options with a number of key players missing.
Thomas Partey could move to right-back, with either Ben White or Jakub Kiwior moving to centre-back, while Myles Lewis-Skelly could slot in at left-back.
Liverpool have their own fitness concerns, with Diogo Jota missing the trip to face Leipzig during the week.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers star picked up the injury in the 2-1 victory over Chelsea and is set for a spell on the sidelines.
Liverpool will also be without Alisson and Harvey Elliott, while Conor Bradley and Federico Chiesa are doubts.
Arsenal potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): David Raya; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Thomas Partey; Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard; Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling.
Liverpool potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Caoimhin Kelleher; Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahim Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold; Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch; Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah; Darwin Nunez.
