Arsenal will face Liverpool at Anfield with plenty of confidence as they look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners arguably have their best chance of beating the Reds on their home patch in the last 10 years.
There are two key reasons behind this. Declan Rice and William Saliba.
Arsenal will head into the game just a single point ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side when the two sides meet on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners will be much fresher than the Reds having had a full week to prepare for the fixture.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will have had to endure a short turnaround prior to kick-off at 5:30pm on Saturday – having secured their place in the last-four of the Carabao Cup with a 5-1 win against West Ham on Wednesday evening. Klopp looks set to be without Diogo Jota – a player that has haunted the Gunners in recent memory – as well as Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch this weekend with all three suffering from injuries and fatigue.
Liverpool remain a huge threat with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz all capable of causing any defence issues. However, Gary Neville and Klopp have both questioned the Anfield atmosphere in the last few days which may see Arsenal head into a very hostile environment which could see any team crumble under the pressure.
“I was not overly happy with the atmosphere behind me,” Klopp said after the win against West Ham this week. “I wondered what they wanted.
“We need Anfield on Saturday, we need Anfield on their toes without me being in an argument with their coach or whatever. If you’re not in the right shape, give your ticket to someone else.”
Klopp’s comments will be heard by Liverpool fans and Anfield is likely to respond. Yet, there is still a feeling that Arsenal could cause an upset – something which has not happened for them since 2012 against the Reds on Merseyside.
William Saliba was unavailable for Arsenal when they drew 2-2 at Anfield last season. Rob Holding deputised in the Frenchman’s absence, but the fact Saliba is available for the fixture this season is a huge boost for Arteta’s side.
The 22-year-old has rivalled Virgil van Dijk as the best defender in the Premier League over the past few months and his impact in defence for Arsenal has been similar to that of the Dutchman for Liverpool. Saliba will offer a sense of reassurance and also provide pace and awareness to cover the threat of Salah and Co.
In front of Saliba will be £105million signing Declan Rice. Klopp’s side have been praised for their ability to transition from defence into attack – scoring a number of goals on the counter-attack this season.
The England international will be pivotal in stopping the Reds break on the counter and exploiting Arsenal in transition. Saliba and Rice’s impact at Anfield could be astronomical and significantly help the Gunners’ title charge by helping them extend their advantage at the top of the table this weekend.
