LIVERPOOL VS. ARSENAL
| Sunday, November 1st |
Premier League | Anfield
4:30PM BST/11:30AM EST
After a disappointing result against Manchester City, Liverpool won their following five matches in October over three competitions. They haven’t always been the most convincing victories, and some, like against Villarreal in the Champions League, forced them to climb out of a deficit to win. But regardless of the method, the results have continued in their favor.
Last weekend they held off a rampant Brighton, earning a clean sheet against a team who had scored 34 goals in their first 12 matches. Brighton beat Arsenal earlier in the season and this Saturday, after losing to Liverpool, also beat current leaders Manchester City.
That morale boost plus their penalty shootout victory against Chelsea in the League Cup lead them into Sunday’s game against Arsenal.
Chelsea beat Manchester United on Saturday to hop back over Liverpool, but three points would solve that problem. It would also prevent Arsenal from making it to the top of the table.
The Gunners head to Anfield off the back of an embarrassing crash out of the League Cup against Fleetwood Town — a team whose name I accidentally transcribed as Fleetwood Mac twice while trying to write this. The game included a controversial red card for Arsenal player Max Dowman and a failed appeal.
November is another very busy month for the Reds, with six games coming stuffed into a month that also includes an international break. We’re looking for a good result to kick things off. Good news is that Dominik Szoboszlai, Victor Muñoz, and Florian Wirtz all have a chance to feature in the game.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Barcola, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
While some players have returned, Liverpool are still without Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, and poor Giovanni Leoni. Likely we will see the same team take the pitch that beat Brighton last Sunday.
For Arsenal, they’re without the aforementioned Dowman, Bukayo Saka, and possibly Noni Madueke.
The Managers Have Their Say
Andoni Iraola: “I think, like I said before, it’s still October, so it’s take one game at a time. I always say the first reference, more or less, normally is when we play against each other once, so halfway through the season, and then you can start thinking and understanding this stuff. But right now we are in a position where we need to improve, we need keep getting better.”
Mikel Arteta: “I think all the top clubs are certainly title challengers, and it’s so early in the season, when you look at the squad, the manager that they have and the history for sure. We expect a big game on Sunday; we’re looking forward to it, for sure. It’s 14 years that we haven’t won there, so it’s time to do it.”
The Officials
Referee: Andy Madley. Assistants: Nick Hopton, Tim Wood. Fourth official: Tom Bramall. VAR: Stuart Attwell. Assistant VAR: James Bell.
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