Prediction: Liverpool vs Arsenal

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 5/2

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

The next highlight of the festive Premier League fixtures is the highly anticipated clash between Liverpool and Arsenal, which takes place on Saturday at Anfield.

Arsenal currently hold a one-point lead over their Merseyside rivals in the league standings. However, it’s worth noting that Aston Villa are also in close proximity, ready to capitalize on any potential mistakes from these top contenders.

Liverpool

Manchester United aimed to frustrate Liverpool by adopting a defensive approach, facing an incessant barrage of attacks from Jurgen Klopp’s team. Despite Liverpool’s persistent goal attempts and notable defensive displays from United, particularly from Raphael Varane, the Red Devils left with a point, enduring a staggering 34 shots – the most Liverpool have had in a Premier League game without scoring since 2003.

While Liverpool’s performance was a far cry from their dominant attacking display earlier in the year when they scored seven against United, they bounced back in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against West Ham United, triumphing with a 5-1 victory and setting up a semi-final clash with Fulham.

Klopp expressed disappointment over what he perceived as a lack of Anfield atmosphere during the midweek cup match. He rallied the supporters, emphasizing the need for their backing as Liverpool aims to avoid consecutive Premier League home games without scoring for the first time since March 2021.

Liverpool had been on a streak of scoring in 26 consecutive top-flight matches before facing Manchester United’s resilient defence. Despite this, their unbeaten run in the Premier League extends to 10 games, with almost 14 months having passed since their last home defeat in the top flight, courtesy of Leeds United.

Team News

Along with long-term absentees Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Andy Robertson and Stefan Bajcetic, Liverpool will also be without Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister through injury. Young Ben Doak is also out and isn’t expected back any time soon.

Ryan Gravenberch has, however, recovered from his problem and should be in contention to face the Gunners.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate should pair up in the heart of defence. Upfront, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah are nailed on to start, but it remains to be seen if Klopp persists with Darwin Nunez as the central attacker or decides to start Cody Gakpo instead.

Caoimhin Kelleher, who stood between the posts in mid-week, should make way for Alisson Becker, and Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to start ahead of Joe Gomez on the right defensive flank, with Kostas Tsimikas on the left.

Arsenal

Arsenal have had recurring home defeats against Brighton & Hove Albion since the Seagulls entered the top flight. However, last weekend, Mikel Arteta’s team successfully halted Brighton’s streak at the Emirates, reclaiming the top spot in the Premier League standings.

A week after a frustrating 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, where they struggled to capitalize on goal-scoring opportunities, a similar scenario unfolded in the first half of their encounter against Brighton. Nonetheless, Arteta’s men ensured their missed chances wouldn’t haunt them, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz on target in the second half.

This victory temporarily placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League standings, potentially securing the Christmas Day lead for the second consecutive year.

While being tagged as ‘winter champions’ didn’t materialize into a successful season end for Arsenal in the 2022/23 campaign, Manchester City’s December struggles and focus on the Club World Cup present an opportunity for Arsenal to reinforce their title aspirations.

Despite their recent setback at Villa Park, Arsenal haven’t lost back-to-back Premier League games on away turf since May 2022. Additionally, in their previous six away losses before the Villa defeat, Arsenal won their subsequent away matches on each occasion.

Last season, Arsenal engaged in high-scoring encounters with Liverpool, securing a 3-2 victory at the Emirates and then settling for a 2-2 draw at Anfield, where Liverpool staged a comeback from a 2-0 deficit. However, the Gunners haven’t clinched a top-flight victory at Anfield since the days of Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla in 2012.

Team News

Arsenal will travel to Merseyside without the availability of several players due to injury concerns. Jurrien Timber (knee), Fabio Vieira (groin), Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf), and Thomas Partey (thigh) will be sidelined for the upcoming match.

Additionally, fresh injury problems for Mohamed Elneny (hamstring) and Jorginho (foot) have further depleted Arsenal’s midfield options, though Elneny hasn’t been completely ruled out yet.

Havertz has been in a rejuvenated form, earning him Arsenal’s Player of the Month award for November, and should Arteta really go for a victory from the first minute, the Germany international could start in a midfield role, together with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will be attacking from the flanks, with Jesus in the middle. The established duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba should be flanked by Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko, with David Raya in goal.

Conclusion

This should be a captivating contest between two top sides, who have responded well to brief setbacks recently. Both teams are likely to score, but it’s not easy to pick a winner before the match is played. A share of the spoils, which would suit Arsenal more on the whole, isn’t an unlikely outcome.

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 5/2

Bookmaker: Olympusbet