EPL Preview: Arsenal vs Liverpool

Arsenal retained their place at the top of the Premier League table last week with a remarkable North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Now, they are about to face another fearsome opponent at home. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will drop by the Emirates Stadium for a Sunday evening Premier League showdown.

Arsenal had an excellent summer transfer window that saw players like Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko joining an already promising mix of players.

Mikel Arteta’s youthful and energetic squad had shown glimpses of an exciting future last season.

The inclusion of Premier League-proven talents added the level of experience Arsenal needed to complement their young talents. So, expectations were very high among Arsenal fans for the new season.

But the fantastic start Arsenal have had to their 22/23 campaign has defied all expectations. Barring the defeat to Man United at Old Trafford, Arsenal have won all of their matches to top the standings ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Man City.

These are still early days to talk about the team’s title credentials, but Arsenal have been the most balanced and consistent team in the division so far.

Their dominant 3-1 win over Antonio Conte’s Spurs, who had not lost a single game this season before their trip to the Emirates, proved how far they have come since Arteta first took charge in 2020.

Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka hit the target as Arsenal brushed aside their North London rivals in front of a roaring sea of red and white in the stands.

The performance was so convincing that the prospect of Arsenal challenging Man City for the Premier League crown does not seem as far off as it had seemed a few months ago.

Liverpool struggling

In recent seasons, Liverpool appeared as the only plausible title contender other than the Citizens in the PL title race.

Jurgen Klopp’s side agonisingly missed two Premier League trophies despite putting more than 90 points on the board on both occasions. So, the mighty Reds would be a fearsome team to play for any side in the Premier League.

However, Liverpool have been a shadow of themselves this season.

They will travel to North London as the ninth-placed team in the league. In their last Premier League outing, they conceded three goals at home to Brighton to settle for a 3-3 draw.

Brighton went two goals up after seventeen minutes as Leandro Trossard struck twice to give the visitors an early two-goal cushion. Roberto Firmino scored a brace before Adam Webstar scored an own goal to hand Liverpook the lead. But, Trossard made the scores level in the 83rd minute and completed his hat-trick.

Team news

Jurgen Klopp had many injury setbacks this seasons, but he will take a relatively fit squad at the Emirates on Sunday.

Former Arsenal man Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Arthur and Curtis Jones will not be a part of the matchday squad.

Andrew Robertson will miss out too. But he will have the first choice midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, and Fabinho fit for the match.

Oleksandr Zinchenko did not feature in Arsenal’s midweek Europa League fixture, but the Ukraine international will be ready for the Liverpool game.

The Gunners don’t have any fresh injury problems ahead of the clash. Emile Smith-Rowe and Mohamed Elneny are out with long-term problems.

Despite their recent struggles, Liverpool remain a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.

But, Arsenal have been so good in recent weeks, that we believe they can inflict more misery on their Sunday evening visitors.

We are expecting a 2-1 win for Arsenal.