Liverpool Vs Arsenal Preview, Team News, Probable Lineups, Prediction

At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 23, there will be a battle of the top two in the Premier League standings when Arsenal visit Liverpool at the Anfield Stadium.

Liverpool will welcome Arsenal at Anfield about a week after they failed to beat a resilient Manchester United at the same venue.

Coach Jurgen Klopp and his boys did all they could to break down the defense of the Red Devils but couldn’t get a goal. Even though United were red-carded in injury time, they still couldn’t get the expected victory against the inconsistent Red Devils.

The 0-0 draw left them in the second spot on the league table with 38 points in 17 games after 11 wins, five draws and one defeat.

Arsenal will be hoping that Liverpool’s firepower becomes as ineffective as last weekend because a win for Liverpool will drop the Gunners down from the top spot.

Coach Mikel Arteta and his boys have lost their invincibility after recording two defeats and three draws in 17 games. Their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on December 9 proved how vulnerable the compact-looking Gunners’ side could be on a bad day.

Interestingly, the two sides can’t afford to have a bad day on Saturday evening as the push for the 2023-2024 Premier League title gets more intense.

Liverpool Team News:

Liverpool will welcome Arsenal to Anfield without Ben Doak (knee), Andrew Robertson (shoulder), Diogo Jota (muscle), Alexis Mac Allister (knee), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (hip), and Joel Matip (ACL).

It was initially believed that Ryan Gravenberch had suffered a hamstring injury in last weekend’s match against Manchester United; however, he suffered from delayed onset muscle soreness. Hence, he will rejoin the team on Saturday following a midweek absence.

Arsenal Team News:

The only known injury casualties for Arsenal before their trip to the Anfied are Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf), Thomas Partey (thigh), Fabio Vieira (groin), and Jurrien Timber (knee).

Arsenal’s options in the midfield have been further limited by new injuries sustained by Jorginho (foot) and Mohamed Elneny (hamstring). The two players reportedly have trouble getting better in time for the game on Saturday.

Liverpool’s probable starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endo, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz

Arsenal’s probable starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli

Prediction:

After recording a 2-0 win over Brighton during the midweek game, it will be difficult for Arsenal to drop the entire three points against Liverpool even though they are playing away at Anfield. Hence, Naija News is seeing a 1-1 draw at the end of regular time on Saturday since inconsistent Manchester United were able to grab a 0-0 draw from the Merseyside club at the same match venue last weekend.