Premier League: Liverpool vs Arsenal Preview – UGNEWS24

The Reds rested the majority of their first-team stars for the midweek EFL Cup round three tie against Lincoln City.

A thumping 7-2 win on the road must have uplifted the spirit among the fringe names ahead of next week’s fourth-round contest at Anfield against Arsenal; But before that, Liverpool will be hosting the Gunners once more on Monday night in a crucial Premier League fixture.

Both the teams have enjoyed a flying start with back to back victories, however, the upsurge under Mikel Arteta saw Arsenal defeating the champions of England twice already.

They are disciplined at the back and sharp high up the pitch, and Jurgen Klopp, thus, must expect a sterner test compared to last week’s Chelsea outing.

Liverpool vs Arsenal Team News:

Liverpool have three major absentees for their upcoming tie with skipper Jordan Henderson ruled out with a thigh injury suffered against the Blues.

Ex-Gunners star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is sidelined with a knee injury, whereas Joel Matip is unlikely to return before the international break due to a muscle strain. Joe Gomez, meanwhile, is back in training and in contention to start on gameweek 3.

Arsenal, too, have a few fitness concerns with Sokratis Papastathopoulos [calf], Pablo Mari [ankle], Calum Chambers [knee] and Shkodran Mustafi [thigh] are out injured for the Liverpool game. Youngsters Emile Smith Rowe [shoulder] and Gabriel Martinelli [knee] continue their rehab work, but the return of Kieran Tierney in team training recovering from a groin strain is a massive boost for Arteta.

Liverpool vs Arsenal Probable Lineups:

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Fabinho, Thiago, Georginio Wijnaldum; Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino.
Subs: Adrian, Naby Keita, James Milner, Curtis Jones, Divock Origi, Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino.

Arsenal (3-4-3): Bernd Leno; Rob Holding, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney; Hector Bellerin, Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles; Willian, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette.
Subs: Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson, David Luiz, William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Nicolas Pepe, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah.

Liverpool vs Arsenal Last Meeting:
Their previous Premier League meeting at Anfield ended 3-1 last year in favour of the Merseysiders. Joel Matip earned a lead late in the first-half while Mohamed Salah scored twice after the break before Lucas Torreira pulled one back in the closing minutes as consolation.

Head-to-Head Stats
Liverpool Win: 89
Draw: 61
Arsenal Win: 79

Key Player To watch
Fans might see Thiago starting the game in the absence of Henderson. The likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino would look to cause menace having failed to threaten enough in the previous meetings.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have formed a lethal front trio of Willian, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette who are in sensational form. Bernd Leno in goal along with Kieran Tierney down the left-hand side of a ‘back three’ might frustrate the Reds’ attacking third with their calmness, composure and the headstrong presence.

Current Form (In all competitions):
Liverpool: W-W-W
Arsenal: W-W-W