MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 19:32:50| >> :60:2666:2666:
[monks data]
Attendance: 53,326
Liverpool logo
Premier League | Gameweek 20
Dec 29, 2018 at 5.30pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

5-1

Firmino (14', 16', 65' pen.), Mane (32'), Salah (45' pen.)
FT(HT: 4-1)

Preview: Liverpool vs. Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Premier League showdown between league leaders Liverpool and Arsenal, including predictions, teams news and head-to-head records.

Liverpool will be looking to take another step towards the Premier League title when they face Arsenal at Anfield in their final match of 2018 on Saturday.

The Reds sit six points clear at the top of the table with half of the season gone, while opponents Arsenal are in fifth place, two points adrift of the Champions League spots.


Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on December 5, 2018© Reuters

Only three teams in Premier League history have reached the halfway stage of a season without losing a single game, and each of them have gone on to win the title.

Liverpool have now joined that exclusive list courtesy of a dominant 4-0 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day - a result which made it eight successive Premier League victories in a run which stretches back to their last match against Arsenal.

Just as significant as their own form has been the unexpected slump from Manchester City, though, with back-to-back defeats for Pep Guardiola's side leaving the defending champions seven points adrift of Jurgen Klopp's pace-setters.

Tottenham Hotspur are now Liverpool's closest challengers, but the Reds still enjoy a six-point lead over second place and may be thankful of that cushion ahead of a crucial double-header against Arsenal and Man City either side of the New Year.

Victory on Saturday would bring a perfect end to what has been a memorable 2018 for Liverpool, and they will be hoping that even greater things are to come in 2019 as they bid for a first league title since 1990.

Klopp will be the first to tell his side that there is still a long way to go if they are to achieve that feat, but the signs are certainly promising heading into the New Year and should Liverpool enjoy an identical second half of the campaign then they would even surpass Man City's 100-point tally from last season.

The Merseysiders are 16 points better off than the same stage of the 2017-18 campaign and have also scored two more goals - despite the impression that their attack has not been as free-flowing this term - but it is their defensive record which has separated them from the rest so far.

So often their downfall in past title challenges, Liverpool conceded just seven goals during the opening half of the campaign and should they keep a clean sheet on Saturday then they would set a new record for fewest goals conceded after 20 games of a top-flight English season.

Liverpool's fixtures with Arsenal are so often laden with goals, but the Reds have conceded only twice in the league at Anfield all season, while Man City are the only team to have taken points off Klopp's side on home turf too.

It is now 30 Premier League games since Liverpool tasted defeat at home - their best run since a 31-game streak which ended in August 2009 - and they are also unbeaten in their last 20 matches in December across all competitions, winning each of the last nine.

Continuing that run on Saturday would take Liverpool one step closer to Premier League glory, although Man City have proved just how quickly things can change at the top should Klopp's side take their eye off the ball.

Recent Premier League form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW


Arsenal

Unai Emery gestures with two fingers during the Europa League group game between Arsenal and Vorskla Poltava on September 20, 2018© Reuters

Arsenal's improvement this season has not quite been as drastic as Liverpool's, but there has been definite movement in the right direction from Unai Emery's side.

The Gunners are four points better off than at the halfway stage of 2017-18, but still sit outside the Champions League places with two points separating them from fourth-placed Chelsea.

That gap opened up on Boxing Day as Arsenal only managed a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion, making it just one win in their last four games since seeing their 22-match unbeaten streak come to an end.

Arsenal remain very much in the race for a top-four spot, though, and securing a return to the Champions League next season would make for a successful first year at the helm for Emery.

There are costly elements which continue to linger on from the Arsene Wenger regime, though, and one of those is Arsenal's poor record away to their top-six rivals.

It is almost three years since the Gunners last won such a game, losing 12 and drawing seven of their last 19 trips to face one of the established top six.

Arsenal have also won just one of their last 12 away league games against teams starting the day top of the table, including six successive defeats by an aggregate scoreline of 17-2.

One area where Arsenal have already shown notable improvement is away from home against other teams, though; Emery's side amassed only 16 points on the road throughout the 2017-18 campaign, but they have already accrued 15 this season.

However, the Gunners will travel to Anfield without a win in their last three away games and with just one victory from their last five - a run which stretches back to October.

Emery's side are also yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet on the road this term, conceding 16 goals from their nine matches.

A trip to face a Liverpool team which has scored three or more goals in four of their last five games is a daunting proposition, then, but Arsenal were one of only three teams to avoid defeat against the leaders during the first half of the season and may take some encouragement from the fact that they were the last side to take points off Saturday's hosts.

Recent Premier League form: WDWLWD
Recent form (all competitions): WWLLWD


Team News

Liverpool midfielder Fabinho in action during a pre-season friendly with Bury in July 2018© Reuters

Klopp opted against rotating his side for the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle, and he is once again expected to field as close to a full-strength team as possible for this match.

Joel Matip and Joe Gomez remain sidelined, meaning that Dejan Lovren will continue alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence, while Trent Alexander-Arnold returned against Newcastle and could start again.

James Milner is doubtful with the hamstring problem which forced him out of the Newcastle game, but there are options for rotation in midfield with Naby Keita and Fabinho pushing for starts.

Roberto Firmino boasts a formidable record against Arsenal with five goals in previous meetings with the Gunners, a tally only Robbie Fowler can beat in Liverpool's Premier League history.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are still short at the back with Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos sidelined, while Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal remain doubtful.

Laurent Koscielny suffered a minor foot problem against Brighton but should be fit to start this match, preventing Granit Xhaka from being deployed as an emergency centre-back again.

Emery has favoured a midfield diamond in recent matches, but Mesut Ozil was dragged off at half time against Brighton and has been left out of big games at times this season.

Premier League top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should continue to lead the line alongside Alexandre Lacazette, having directly contributed to 30 goals in 32 league appearances for the club.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Keita; Shaqiri, Firmino, Mane; Salah

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Leno; Lichtsteiner, Sokratis, Koscielny, Kolasinac; Torreira, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ramsey; Aubameyang, Lacazette


Head To Head

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with Arsenal, winning three of those and drawing four in a run which stretches back to April 2015 - their longest such streak since a 12-game sequence from 1994 to 2000.

The reverse fixture in November ended in a 1-1 draw, with Lacazette netting a late equaliser after Milner had opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have not won at Anfield in any of their last five visits, conceding 17 goals in that time including a 4-0 defeat in the corresponding game last season.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal

Liverpool are in brilliant form at the moment and have a formidable record against Arsenal at Anfield too. The Gunners should put up more of a fight than they have on some of their recent visits to Merseyside, but it would be a surprise if they came away with anything to show for it.



ID:345334: cacheID:345334:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:14414:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring against Newcastle United on December 26, 2018
Read Next:
Combined XI: Liverpool vs. Arsenal
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Result
Blanch
Nadal
1 0
6 6
Result
Cachin
Ofner
6 6
3 3
Result
Elahi Galan
Bautista-Agut
64 6 1
77 4 6
Result
Gasquet
Sonego
2 5
6 7
Result
Hanfmann
Mensik
4 63
6 77
10am
Koepfer
Carballes Baena
Result
Kovacevic
Medjedovic
6 5 4
3 7 6
Result
Lajovic
Monteiro
4 3
6 6
Result
Machac
Ruusuvuori
6 1 6
4 6 2
Result
Michelsen
Fonseca
6 0 2
4 6 6
Result
Nishioka
Auger-Aliassime
6 1 4
4 6 6
Result
O'Connell
Arnaldi
4 1
6 6
Result
Purcell
Giron
4 6 77
6 4 62
Result
Ramos-Vinolas
Kotov
3 4
6 6
Result
Tabilo
Cobolli
7 4 4
5 6 6
Result
Zhizhen
Kecmanovic
3 2
6 6
Result
Azarenka
Maria
6 6
3 1
10am
Eala
Cirstea
10am
Annie Fernandez
Potapova
Result
Gauff
Rus
6 6
0 0
Result
Keys
Camelia-Begu
77 78
63 66
Result
Podoroska
Navarro
2 1
6 6
10am
Karolina Schmiedlova
Jabeur
10am
Swiatek
Wang
10am
Alexandrova
Krueger
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
10am
Boulter
Montgomery
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Collins
Danilovic
3pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
10am
Dolehide
Kalinina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Linette
Sabalenka
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
Result
Sorribes Tormo
Svitolina
6 7
3 5
Result
Vekic
Sakkari
3 2
6 6
Result
Arango
Yastremska
6 5 4
0 7 6
Result
Osaka
Samsonova
2 6 5
6 4 7
Result
Ostapenko
Bouzas Maneiro
6 6
3 1
Result
Haddad Maia
Errani
6 6
3 2
2.30pm
Lourdes Carle
Kudermetova
2.30pm
Mertens
Stephens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!