Arsene Wenger's men made it through to the semi-finals of the League Cup with a triumph over West Ham United in midweek, which followed Saturday's defeat of Newcastle United in the Premier League. That was an important win for the Gunners, who had failed to emerge victorious in their three previous encounters and were beginning to lose ground in the race for the top four, but now find themselves within touching distance (one point) of the final Champions League qualification spot, which is currently occupied by their upcoming opponents. Wenger’s side have long since dropped out of the title battle due to Manchester City’s dominance of the division, but it is essential they seal a return to Europe’s principal club competition in 2018/19 – particularly as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, their two star man, will almost certainly be with different clubs by the time next season gets under way.
Liverpool are now unbeaten in nine encounters in the Premier League, having bounced back from disappointing recent draws with Everton and West Bromwich Albion to thrash Bournemouth 4-0 last weekend. There are certainly signs that the Reds have improved upon the second half of last season, with summer signing Mohamed Salah – who scored his 20th goal of the campaign in all competitions at the Vitality Stadium last time out – a key reason for their increased attacking productivity. They have also been reasonably solid at the back, conceding only four times in their last nine games in the top flight, with no opponent able to find the net against Liverpool more than once during that time.
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Olivier Giroud was substituted during Tuesday’s defeat of West Ham in the League Cup and will miss the next few weeks with a hamstring injury, while Santi Cazorla is a long-term absentee. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey is also struggling with a hamstring problem, which could see Jack Wilshere continue his partnership with Granit Xhaka in the engine room. Centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette will be supported by Ozil and Sanchez despite the latter’s poor form of late, while at the other end of the field Wenger is likely to stick with a back four rather than a defensive line of three.
Klopp has shuffled his pack more often than any other Premier League manager so far this season, but he will probably select his strongest XI for Friday’s crunch clash in the capital. Alberto Moreno remains absent with an ankle problem and Daniel Sturridge has been suffering with illness, while Joel Matip requires a late fitness test as he attempts to shake off a groin injury in time to feature. Elsewhere, Marko Grujic (finger) and Nathaniel Clyne (back) remain sidelined, but each member of the Reds’ devastating front four – Philippe Coutinho, Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane – should play.
This is a difficult game to call, with Arsenal generally very strong at home but Liverpool in better form in recent weeks. Although Klopp’s charges were excellent against fellow big-six sides last term, they have been soundly beaten by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur away from home this time around; despite that, their speed on the counter-attack should cause numerous problems for a Gunners team who still struggle to defend in transition. An away win could therefore be a sensible wager in this one, with Salah the obvious choice to open the scoring.
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