Prediction: Arsenal vs Liverpool

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 9/10

Bookmaker: Unibet

Arsenal and Liverpool are set to face each other for the fourth time this season when they take to the pitch at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening, in what will be match No. 27 for the Gunners and No. 29 for the Reds. Needless to say, the fact that they’ve met three times already puts a bit of added edge on the fixture, on top of the the points on offer being of vital importance for both sides.

Arsenal

It’s fair to say that Arsenal are on the rise at the moment. They’ve come a long way indeed since the three consecutive defeats at the start of the season which had them briefly in the relegation zone and with three teams spending most of the season eyeing the title, the Gunners are now odds-on to take that fourth spot which warrants a place in next season’s Champions League.

Sitting currently fourth with 51 points, they have three games in hand on Manchester United (fifth, 50 points), West Ham (sixth, 48) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (seventh, 46), and one game in hand on arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur (eighth, 45). With a bit of luck, they even might challenge Chelsea, who have 59 points with two games played more, for the third place.

Ironically, the last defeat Arsenal suffered in any competition was the work of Liverpool at the Emirates, when the Merseysiders brushed them aside on their way to win the Carabao Cup back on January 20th. Since then, they played a goalless draw at home against Burnley, followed by five consecutive wins. They beat Wolves twice (0-1 away and 2-1 at home) in two thrilling contests with a 2-1 home win over Brentford squeezed in between, and after that, they beat Watford at the Vicarage by 2-3 and Leicester City 2-0 at the Emirates.

Team News

The only player set to miss the game is Tahekiro Tomiyasu, manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed. The Japanese defender has been missing for a while now with a calf problem, and though he’s on the right road in terms of recovery, Arteta stressed the importance of not risking him too soon.

Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes are set to continue their partnership ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in goal, with Kieran Tierney on the left and, in the absence of Tomiyasu, Cedric Soares on the right. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka will act as a double pivot of a 4-2-3-1 setup, with Martin Odegaard flanked by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli further up. Alexandre Lacazette will be captaining the team from the front. Unless there are any fresh developments between now and the kick-off, any other way Arsenal might line up would certainly be a surprise.

Liverpool

Having already secured silverware for this season by beating Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool would’ve been expected to feel under less pressure from that point on if there weren’t for the slight aspect of still being very much in with a chance to win the Premier League title, the FA Cup and the Champions League, where they’ve secured a place in the quarterfinals.

As for the title race, it got much more interesting on Monday evening when Manchester City played a goalless draw away to Crystal Palace. The defending champions still lead the way with 70 points, but Liverpool are now only four points behind with a game in hand. It obviously means that the Merseysiders see the Emirates trip as the perfect opportunity to get even closer, and they’re yet to play City next month.

The problem that’s currently bugging Jurgen Klopp and his team the most is surely the uncertainty around the future of Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has been integral to their successes since joining the club in 2017, but the talks between the club and the player’s representative are apparently at a standoff at the moment. His current contract expires in 2023 and if no breakthrough is found between now and the end of the season, Liverpool might be tempted to consider offers for his services this summer already.

Despite various claims about Salah’s professionalism and the situation not affecting his form, the fact remains that he scored his last Premier League goal (not counting penalties) on February 19th, almost a month ago.

Speaking of form, Liverpool’s last-six run in all competitions consists of a 6-0 thrashing of Leeds United at home, the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea which they won on penalties after 120 goalless minutes, a 2-1 win over Norwich City in the FA Cup, a 1-0 triumph at home over West Ham, a 0-1 defeat at home at the hands of Inter Milan in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 (they had won the first leg in Milan by 0-2), and a 0-2 win away to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Team News

There were fears in the Liverpool camp about the availability of Salah for this clash after the Egyptian left the Brighton match with an injured foot after 64 minutes, but Klopp has confirmed that the league’s top scorer is ready for the Arsenal trip.

Defender Ibrahima Konate missed the Brighton game through illness and is now back, but midfielder James Milner and left-back Kostas Tsimikas will miss out through illness now.

Alisson Becker will surely be in goal, with Virgil van Dijk ahead of him, and the Dutchman is likely to be partnered by Joel Matip again. No Tsimikas or Milner means Andy Robertson is not only the first choice on the left defensive flank, he’s also the only option. Trent Alexander-Arnold is undisputed on the right, as is Fabinho ahead of the back line. It remains to be seen who gets the pick for the other two midfield slots between Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, Harvey Elliott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones. Upfront, Klopp now has a variety of options and he’ll likely choose three between Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi will be lucky if either makes the bench.

Conclusion

As has been said, these two teams have already played three times this season, with Liverpool victorious twice and one match ending goalless. That, along with the situation in the table rightly suggests the visitors are the favourites to win.

Arsenal’s form is commendable, but this is probably not the match to count on in terms of points to help strengthen their position in the top four.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 9/10

Bookmaker: Unibet