Liverpool vs Arsenal: Preview & Prediction

Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool host Arsene Wenger’s side at Anfield in what promises to be a highly engaging and pulsating Super Sunday encounter. Both the teams haven't enjoyed the best of starts to the ongoing Premier League campaign, with the managers coming under intense pressure in recent times and fan frustration reaching boiling point.

Liverpool in particular, have been shambolic in comparison to their exploits last season, while Arsenal have been struggling to find consistency. However, history suggests that Liverpool suffer an inferiority complex as far as this fixture is concerned.

The Kop has managed to rack up only 2 wins in 14 matches against Arsenal, the second of which was that emphatic 5-1 thrashing at Anfield on 8 February earlier this year. The past few weeks have been torrid for the Anfield side.

After being dumped out of the Champions League by Basel, the Merseysider’s slumped to an embarrasing 3-0 defeat against old foes Manchester United last weekend but, an encouraging performance against Bournemouth in the League Cup could provide the necessary zest to grind out a positive result.

As for Arsenal, qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League followed by a favourable Round of 16 draw against Wengers old club Monaco has increased the London outfits chances of reaching the quarter-finals of the elite competition.

The Gunners are languishing in 7th spot in the Premier Lague though, and are five points adrift of a Champions League spot. However, a formiddable display against Alan Pardew's Newcastle United will ensure that they go into this encounter in buoyant mood, hoping to replicate the past and therefore pile more misery on Brendan Rodgers.

Venue and Kickoff

Anfield – 9.30 PM IST.

Possible Lineups

Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet, Manquillo, Sakho, Skrtel, Moreno, Gerrard, Henderson, Can, Sterling, Coutinho, Lambert

Balotelli will be missing for Liverpool after picking up a ban for an offensive post on a social media platform.

Liverpool will be without maverick striker Mario Balotelli who was handed a one match ban for an offensive post on a social media platform, whereas Dejan Lovren (groin) will undergo a late fitness test.

Joe Allen is expected to make a comeback after missing his teams successful trip to Bournemouth, however Glen Johnson will be out until mid-January with a groin problem.

Daniel Strurridge, who recently flew to Boston to accelerate his recovery process will be missing too. However, Mamadou Sakho is back in contention for a starting spot.

Arsenal: (4-1-3-2): Szczesny, Bellerin, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Flamini, Cazorla, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Sanchez, Welbeck, Giroud.

Aaron Ramsey is set to miss the entire festive fixture period according to Arsene Wenger.

Injuries have proven to be Arsenal's worst enemy this season. The Gunners' campaign has been marred by casualties and they are only second to Manchester United when it comes to the number of players missing through injuries for the team.

Not much has changed for Wenger though, and the Frenchman is set to miss the services of Laurent Koscielny (calf), Mikel Arteta (calf), Mesut Ozil (knee), David Ospina (thigh), Abou Diaby (calf), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Tomas Rosicky (thigh) and Serge Gnabry (knee), whereas Aaron Ramsey is expected to miss the entire busy yet crucial festive-fixture period, as admitted by the manager.

Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Nacho Monreal and long-term absentee Theo Walcott will be available subject to late fitness tests.

Facts and Stats:

• Arsenal have trailed in six of the last seven Premier League games against Liverpool at Anfield and come back to win two and draw three of those six.
• Liverpool have won just two of their last 14 Premier League meetings with Arsenal.
• Alexis Sanchez has scored (7) or assisted (4) 11 of Arsenal’s last 17 Premier League goals (65 per cent).
• Liverpool v Arsenal has seen more hat-tricks than any other fixture in Premier League history (5).
• After failing to score with his previous 38 shots this season in the Premier League (inc. blocked), Santi Cazorla has scored with three of his last seven in the competition.
• Liverpool had more points from their first 16 games of 2010-11 under Roy Hodgson (22) than they do currently in 2014-15 (21). Based on three points for a win, this is Liverpool’s worst -record after 16 games since 1964-65.
• Last season’s 5-1 annihilation of the Gunners at Anfield ended a run of six home games without a win over the Gunners for the Reds (D3 L3).

Key Battles

Alexis Sanchez vs Martin Skrtel:

The Chilean has taken the Barclays Premier League by storm since his arrival from Barcelona. The winger has scored 14 times in 24 appearences this season and is proving to be an invaluable asset for the Gunners.

His pace, trickery and instinct for goal has left defenders harassed and on Sunday afternoon, he'll be pitted against Martin Skrtel, who is suffering a performance crisis this season.

In his pre-match press conference, Brendan Rodgers admitted that 'world class’ Sanchez could have been an excellent addition to the Liverpool squad and that just goes to show the amount of respect he has managed to amass in his short stint in England.

On the other hand, Skrtel's form has gone rolling down the cliff, and to be honest the regression has been startling. From scoring 7 goals last season to failing to catch a stumbling opponent, it's been an absolute nosedive for the aggressive Slovakian defender.

Once heralded as a natural leader, marshalling his troops at the back, Skrtel, like many of his team-mates, has been hugely affected by the departure of talismanic striker Luis Suarez.

Last season, the defender had garnered attention for a rather unusual trait as far as a defender is concerned, scoring goals with his head, but this year, the 30-year old has gathered attention mainly due to his lackluster display's on the pitch. His next opponent will be a well-built, pacey winger who has wrecked havoc since his arrival in the League this season and if he doesn't up the ante, it's going to be a long and hard 90 minutes.

Raheem Sterling vs Per Mertesacker:

The 20-year old winger hasn't enjoyed an unblemished start to the season but his brace against Bournemouth would have done a world of good for his confidence to go up. Once a part of an illustrious trio at Anfield, Sterling has been left abandoned by the departure of one of the members of the trio and the injury suffered by another. Suddenly, the onus has been passed on to the young lad and he hasn't disappointed.

Sterling is Liverpool's top scorer this season and also has the most number of assists and if his team want to have a realistic shot of salvaging anything against Wenger's men, then the English winger needs to step up and assume responsibility.

World Cup winner Mertesacker has been an important piece in Wenger's jigsaw at the Emirates for quite a few years now but there are some people who doubt the ability the defender possesess. The lanky German is a tall and intimidating figure in the heart of Arsenal's defense but the one essential trait which he misses his pace.

Even though strength is often singled out as the most important quality required to perform in the Premier League, pace is as important as it gets. And, quite visibly, it is one trait which Mertesacker clearly misses.

Facing a pacey and deceptive winger is going to be quite a task for the 30-year old and it will be interesting to see if he manages to keep the diminutive English wingers darting runs at bay.

Match Official: Michael Oliver

Prediction: Both sides come into this match at the back of morale boosting victories against Bournemouth and Newcastle United respectively so it’s a bit difficult to pick a clear winner. However, Liverpool impotency in attack has been there for all to see whereas Arsenal have one of the fastest and most lethal attacking frontmen in the Premiership. Given the defensive frailties Liverpool have been enduring of late, I’ll go for a 2-0 victory for Arsenal.