Liverpool vs Arsenal at Anfield is the biggest statement game of the Premier League season so far, and the plot is delicious. Arsenal want a win that has eluded them for more than a decade. Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool want to prove they are more than a feel-good story. Kick-off is 16:30 GMT on Sunday.
What Is at Stake?
The table makes this huge. Arsenal can go top if they avoid defeat at Liverpool. A Liverpool win would move them within three points of Arsenal and could ignite a three-way title race. Defeat would put them nine points adrift. That is a reality check nobody on Merseyside wants.
The Anfield Hoodoo
Arsenal fans know this story by heart. The Gunners have not won away at Liverpool since September 2012, when Podolski and Cazorla scored in a 2-0 win. Mikel Arteta has never won at Anfield as a manager. Arsenal have never gone 14 away league meetings without a win against anyone, and Anfield is their worst ground by win rate. This is the hoodoo they want to break.
Arteta vs Iraola: Childhood Friends, Fierce Rivals
Iraola and Arteta have known each other since childhood. Friendship ends at kick-off. Arteta says he is fully convinced Arsenal will win. Iraola beat Arsenal three times in four meetings with Bournemouth, though he insists this is a different team and different tactics.
Arteta also showed respect. He called Liverpool genuine contenders, while Iraola kept it calm, saying it is still early and he is taking one game at a time.
Liverpool Team News and Form
Liverpool are chasing a sixth straight win in all competitions, after beating Chelsea on penalties in midweek with seven changes. Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz have a chance of returning, while Jeremie Frimpong is out with a hamstring injury.
The shape is exciting. Iraola uses a 4-2-3-1 with Florian Wirtz behind Alexander Isak, and Wirtz created nine chances against Brentford.
Arsenal Team News and Form
Arsenal arrive licking wounds. They lost on penalties at fourth-tier Fleetwood in the League Cup. Teenager Max Dowman misses this match as his three-game ban begins. There is good news too. Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis are in training and on course to be available.
The Stat That Could Decide It
Here is the irresistible force against the immovable object. Before kick-off, Arsenal were the only team yet to concede after the 60th minute this season, while Liverpool had conceded four of their five home league goals after the hour. If it is level late, Anfield will be loud and Arsenal will be nervous.
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