Stats: Liverpool vs Arsenal - The Reds' last shot at Champions League qualification?

Table positions with each gameweek in the 2014/15 Premier League season

3rd placed Arsenal and 5th placed Liverpool are going to lock horns this Saturday (4-Apr-2015) with different high priority objectives. Both the teams are doing good since November 26th 2014: Arsenal have won 21 of last 26 games (~81% win ratio) while Liverpool have lost only 4 of last 30 games (~13% loss ratio).

With this form built up, the Gunners are eyeing the Premier League runners-up spot after 9 seasons whereas Liverpool are targeting a second consecutive Champions League spot to strengthen their position among the top teams.

Arsenal vs Liverpool - Sustenance vs Perseverance of UCL qualification pursuit

Arsenal are big match flops

Their current 6 match winning streak leading to them rising to 3rd in the table has given Arsenal fans a pinch of faith to finish 2nd or to even contend for the title. Though the league title is a long shot, the Premier League is loaded with teams that Chelsea can lose points to drastically at the end. The Gunners though, won’t be happy looking at the following statistic.

Arsenal have earned only 0.9 points/ game against the top 8 teams, as compared to 2.55 points/ game against the other 12 teams. They are yet to face Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. These 3 games are their trump cards. If Arsenal want to show the world that they are a dominant force, they have to prove that they can win these super big games during crunch time.

Arsenal’s poor form against top teams

Liverpool’s second half of the season stronger

In the last 5 seasons, Liverpool haven’t qualified for the Champions League four times. It’s quite important for a club of Liverpool’s stature to continuously feature in the continent’s top competition.

Having lost only 1 out of the last 14 league games, Liverpool have recovered strongly (winning only 6 games in the first 16 league games) from their dismal start to compete for a Champions League spot for the second consecutive year. The Reds earned 1.31 points/ game in the first 16 league games whereas they earned 2.36 points/ game in the rest of the games. This renewed spirit could help Kopites achieve their objective.

Liverpool’s comeback in the second half of the season

Big game bonus stat for the Reds: Liverpool generally score high in games against the top 8 teams by earning 1.83 points/game which is twice as much as earned by Arsenal.

Against big clubs, Liverpool has performed much better than Arsenal

Both Arsenal and Liverpool are fighting to regain their once dominant position in English football. Their contention could only be possible if Arsenal breaks into the top 2 and if Liverpool qualify for the Champions League again. With both teams having high stakes, this Saturday game is definitely a delight for every football fan on the planet.

Premier League positions over game weeks

This article has been contributed by a member of the SK Featured Bloggers Club. It was originally published on the ‘Stat Screamer’ blog here: Liverpool’s last call for Champions League spot