Arsenal will welcome Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side to the Emirates Stadium today with both teams in top form.
Unai Emery will be taking on the passionate German boss for the first time as Gunners boss, with his only previous encounter with Klopp coming in the Europa League final, when his Seville side come away with the trophy.
Times have changed since then, with the Reds following up that near miss with a much bigger one in the Champions League final last year, and the away team are touted as the favourites for this encounter, although you would be mad to view them as a value bet.
We come into the match with 12 wins from our last 13 matches in all competitions, scoring a whopping 35 goals in that time, and writing us off on form alone would be a tad on the crazy side…
Unfortunately more than form will affect our selection process as Emery actually has to make some decisions on his line-up. Hector Bellerin will face a late fitness test to see if he is able to feature, with Lichtsteiner ready to fill in should the Spaniard be ruled out. At left-back we are expected to be without BOTH Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac, leaving Maitland-Niles tasked with keeping Liverpool’s wide men at bay. We also have Sokratis, Mohamed Elneny, Laurent Koscielny and Dinos Mavropanos all missing, leaving Rob Holding with a big job at hand today.
Expected XI:
Leno
Bellerin(if fit) Mustafi Holding Maitland-Niles
Xhaka Torreira
Ozil Ramsey Aubameyang
Lacazette
Betting:
An Arsenal win will certainly not come easy, especially with question marks in defence, but we will score goals, and I expect us to continue our rich vein of form with two or more goals.
– Arsenal to score over 1.5 goals 11/8 (2.375) with 138.com
What about it being near certain to have more than 3 goals in total?
That is 6/5 with 138.com, but surely it will be a very highscoring match?.
If you prefer to take on a safe bet, then I recommend the safest bet of the day. Selecting both teams to bag a goal.
– Will both teams score goals this evening? New 138.com customers get 30/1 for both Arsenal and Liverpool to score! Otherwise the price is only 1.5!
I can’t say that I’m brimming with confidence with our worries over our main defensive options, but I seriously hope that Emery starts with both Aubameyang and Lacazette up front to give us the firepower to score as many (if not more) than our rivals. COYG
What are your predictions for today? Anyone quietly confident?
Pat J
My prediction for the line-up:
………………………..Leno
Lichtsteiner . Mustafi . Sokratis . Maitland-Niles
……………Torreira ……….. Xhaka
Mkhitaryan ………….Ozil…………..Iwobi
…………………..Aubameyang
My prediction for the outcome is Arsenal win by one set-piece goal
I hope you’re right about your prediction
I am more than confident Arsenal will beat Liverpool undoubtedly in the PL this evening at the Emirates Stadium irrespective of Arsenal having defensive choice concerns or not. For, the Gunners who Emery will select to play in the match are more than set-ready to put the Reds to the gun in the game. And they will certainly put them to the gun in the game to collect all the 3 points in the match to deny the Reds having access to 1 point collection in the match.
I really don’t hope Ramsey will be included in the line up. And I don’t think he will.
Playing both Ramsey and Özil leave us too vulnerable. Özil don’t work enough defensively and Ramsey is all over place and too slow getting back.
I think it will be Iwobi instead of Ramsey, if your 4 man defense is correct.
Defensively, I can’t wait to see, if Emery will go for 3 at the back (Mustafi, Holding Plezeguelo) and then have Bellerin and Maitland Niles as wingbacks. But he does that, the Iwobi will not be included. Nor Ramsey. It will be Torreira, Xhaka, Ôzil Auba, Laca in a 3-4-1-2.
Anyway it is just guesswork, and it will be very interesting to see how we approach the game.
3-4-1-2 should be the best line against teams like Liverpool and Palace. But I doubt if Emery will make such choice.
We can’t play 3 at the back against a team with dangerous Wingers
Fulham did that against us and with just our one Winger we destroyed them
Salah cannot be left in pockets of space, instead would be better to assign someone to Man-mark him like Wenger did last year with Maitland, yet he still scored 2 goals I think, though we were able to get a point from that match
Come on Bournemouth
This is how Arsenal beats Liverpool. System 4.3.3.
…………………………Leno
Lichtsteiner . Holding . Sokratis . Maitland-Niles
Iwobi………Torreira………Xhaka
……..Ozil……….
…..Aubameyang.Lacazette…..
After Xhaka cameo in the left back, he should understand responsibilities of protecting the left back. Maitland-Niles is speedy and his midfielder orientation should help him push Salah and prevent him from having a good afternoon. Lichtsteiner on the other wing may get lots of problems with Mane but Iwobi could be helpful. Ozil should have both Auba and Lacazette involved infront of him to pass to. Torreira should break any Liverpool advance in the centre with the help of both Xhaka and Iwobi on both sides. If We should get the 3 points in the bag
Like your lineup and tactics.. I will also prefer to use this tactics today against liverpool to neutralize their system….
I don’t think Sokratis will play
hopefully he will play today i feel less confident when mustafi is playing.. Sokratis is a better centre back and a leader so he must play today if he is even 80% fit….
I’d rather he played too… didn’t see him in training though
Hope so he plays today anyways
4-4-2 which ironically is perfect for our injuries as well use both lethal finishers to the max of their ability but willing to bet on a 4-2-3-1 safer!! With 4-4-2 we have to be perfect the way leicester played on the counter and we might even win it you never know in football , my gut feeling we might end up seeing 4-4-2 either way especially if they score first.
Solid first Half is what i’m hoping the start of the game will be very important, team line up:
……………………………………………………..Leno
AMN ( lich in this game will be left for dead), Sok, Holding, Hopefully Montreal recovers or else we have to play lich who will get destroyed by pace a 4-4-2 would help him as well he cant push all the way up there with Mane and Salah interchanging!! if bellerin can make the squad as well i would be less worried!!
………… torreira, granit………………………..
miki……………………………………………ozil……………………iwobi
Laca
or same with miki out auba on the left iwobi on the right not as good as this to me weaker defensively but you never know woth emery, would be very happy with 4-4-2 but i see ozil playing today so 4-2-3-1 most likely!!
Could play the diamond formation with Ozil at the front, Torreira at the base and a left and right formation. Two up front and a flat back four.
three in midfield with keita pushing up alot of runners for torreira to track no? we need at least two to not get ountnumbered there as with Mane Salah playing just between the defence and our FB thats 5 in mid for them when they press, and if these FB’s of theirs push up that’s 7 in our half henderson playing as a deep playmaker, i would also be more worried with Firmino playing as a False Nine dropping in midfield and targeting Torreira with his press, so at least two in midfielf the guy is amazing but he needs help.
it looks to be Mustafi and Holding in defence, hot head and young and inexperienced….. holding has to lead the defence for sure no silly hands this game we got away with it once, Leno has to be vocal with those two aswell, i feel for the kid hope mustafi stays focused all game!!
I thought Keita & Henderson were injured??
haven’t checked sue :)…..if it’s the case especially with keita than that’s good news to us, fabinho is better than hendo in my eyes so would rather have had an injured henderson in their starting 11, to me he’s liverpool’s ramsey good player but definetly overrated.
first real test what’s happening with today’s headlines? Man city , chelsea he had a baptism of fire or did you forget, yep always forget the losses that’s how we like it!!
defenitly with you on that it never happened, so on to Emery’s first real test!! a few more hours to go 🙂
I don’t think Auba will start. He’ll want players who will track back on the wings especially with our injuries. I think he’ll let iwobi and mkhi/welbeck tire them out then do a 60 min sub with auba and Ramsey. That’s what I would do, it always brings the best out the team when you can bring on world class quality as well