Liverpool welcome Arsenal to Anfield in a blockbuster Monday Night Football clash as both teams look to continue unbeaten starts to the season.
Victory will send the winner of this clash into third although a two goal winning margin could see either team move up to second above Everton.
Team News
Joe Gomez could be available for Liverpool if he can recover from a knee injury in time and prove his fitness in a fitness test, in which he will be joined by James Milner, who is struggling with a calf injury.
Jordan Henderson (thigh), Joel Matip (muscle) and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee) are ruled out.
Arsenal could hand late fitness tests to Cedric Soares (calf), Kieran Tierney (muscle) and Sokratis Papastathopoulos (calf) after the defensive trio sat out the Gunners’ away Carabao Cup win at Leicester in midweek.
Shkodran Mustafi (hamstring), Emile Smith Rowe (shoulder), Calum Chambers and Gabriel Martinelli (both knee) remain ruled out, although Mustafi and Smith Rowe could return in October.
Stat Attack
- Liverpool have lost just one of their last ten league meetings against Arsenal (W5, D4, L1)
- Arsenal are winless in their last seven league trips to Anfield (D2, L5).
- There has been a combined 12 red cards dished out across 56 Premier League meetings between Liverpool and Arsenal, with both teams having six sending offs each.
- Willian is the only Arsenal player to have hit the woodwork once already this season.
- Georginio Wijnaldum is the only Liverpool player to have already missed a big chance this season.
Prediction
Liverpool delivered a pair of impressive performances last week away at Chelsea then Lincoln but their defending does still remain an issue, as Lincoln exposed with two sloppily conceded goals in midweek and is something which Arsenal should look to expose more.
Saying that, the Gunners weren’t exactly impressive last weekend against West Ham defensively yet managed to squeeze out a late winner courtsey of super sub, Eddie Nketiah who then followed up with a late goal at Leicester in midweek.
Both teams therefore have to be at their best defensively because this could be a scrappy encounter full of goals if recent meetings are a sign, although Anfield seems to be Liverpool’s fortress and I can’t see Arsenal ending that form given their poor away record here.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
Result: Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal