Arsenal welcome reigning Premier League champions Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, Jan. 8, after the two rivals experienced differing results on the road at the weekend. Arsenal extended their run of consecutive wins to seven (including a penalty shoot-out victory over Crystal Palace) on Jan. 3 with a defiant 3-2 win at Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, Liverpool thought they’d snatched an injury-time winner at Fulham on Jan. 4, only to be pulled back by a Harrison Reed screamer in the seventh minute of added time. That result made it two disappointing draws on the bounce for Arne Slot’s side, who have now won just four of their last 10 league games.
While the late nature of Fulham’s equalizer will have hurt, the fact that it came from what is a front-runner for Goal of the Season should take the edge off. Virgil van Dijk has expressed his desire to rise to the challenge on Thursday, urging his teammates to embrace the opportunity, rather than fear it.
Arsenal will be in no mood to give their visitors an inch, though, after losing an uninspiring, error-ridden contest at Anfield in August to a similarly outstanding goal. Having struggled to find the net early on, the Gunners have scored nine goals over their last three games, adding much-needed end product to their overall dominant displays.
Arsenal Expected Lineup vs Liverpool
(4-3-3) David Raya, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyokeres
Around 65% of Arsenal’s starting lineup picks itself these days, provided everyone is healthy. The biggest question mark is on the left wing, where Gabriel Martinelli could be in consideration over Leandro Trossard, who was Arsenal’s Player of the Month for December.
At times, Mikel Merino has also been favored over his more creative teammates in the center of midfield in important games and could even be used in attack. Elsewhere, Noni Madueke has given Mikel Arteta something to think about, but Bukayo Saka would be a shock exclusion and should be expected to start on the right.
Arsenal Injury Report
- Christian Mosquera (ankle)
- Riccardo Califiori (muscle)
- Max Dowman (ankle)
Liverpool Expected Lineup vs Arsenal
(4-3-3) Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo
The big question surrounding Liverpool’s lineup will be whether Hugo Ekitike is fit enough to feature after missing the Fulham game due to muscle soreness. Slot revealed on Wednesday that the striker hadn’t trained with the team to that point, but left the door open for the skillful Frenchman to prove his fitness in time.
With dwindling attacking options, Liverpool could struggle to break down an Arsenal defense that has conceded more than one goal only three times this season. With Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak also sidelined, Cody Gakpo would be the team’s only speedy outlet, limiting the visitors’ usual effectiveness on the break.
Liverpool Injury Report
- Alexander Isak (ankle/fibula)
- Hugo Ektike (muscle soreness)
- Wataru Endo (ankle)
Arsenal vs Liverpool Prediction
Despite what has been a disappointing season, both in terms of performances and results, Liverpool shouldn’t be underestimated on Thursday. The Reds’ midfield is packed with creative talent, and the team has enough bite in players like van Dijk and Conor Bradley to get their travelling supporters pumped up.
With Arsenal playing the way they are, though, there’s nowhere else to look when predicting the winner, and the Gunners will be frustrated with anything less. Having just earned two big wins against tough opposition, while Manchester City dropped points in back-to-back games, Arteta’s men need to keep their momentum going.
The visitors should be able to keep Arsenal on their toes, and have enough about them defensively to make things nervous in North London. But Arsenal should be expected to dominate, and the result could come down to how clinical the hosts are in front of goal.
While that has been a problem in the past, their recent form, coupled with a relentlessness and grit beyond anything they’ve shown before, should see them through. Arsenal are good enough to feast on a wounded Liverpool side, and even in a more closely-fought contest, have enough different ways to score to force a narrow victory.
Prediction: Arsenal 3, Liverpool 1
How to Watch Arsenal vs Liverpool: Channel, TV Station, and More
- United Kingdom: Sky Sports Main Event, Now TV | Kickoff: 8 p.m. GMT
- United States: Peacock | Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
- Canada: DAZN Canada, Fubo Sports Network | Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
- Venue: Emirates Stadium, North London