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Preview: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Sports Mole looks ahead to the Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates.

Arsenal and Liverpool will both be hoping to further their title aspirations by claiming three points when they meet at the Emirates next Monday.

The Gunners bounced back from their opening-day loss to West Ham United with a victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend, while Liverpool made it two wins from two following Monday's win over Bournemouth.


Arsenal

Arsene Wenger watches on as Arsenal take on Man City during the Community Shield on August 10, 2014© Getty Images

The Gunners will head into their second home match of the season hoping that there will be a different outcome from their last outing at the Emirates.

There were high hopes as they welcomed West Ham to North London on the first day of the Premier League season, but a poor display at the back cost them dearly, as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat.

Such a poor result and an under-par showing from the players led fans to call on Arsene Wenger to further bolster his squad, having only signed goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea since end of the last campaign.

However, the Arsenal manager promised that his team would show a response in their next fixture against Crystal Palace, and they duly obliged by edging to a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park.

Although the match was won by a Damien Delaney own goal, the Gunners created plenty of chances and they played the kind of football that people expected of them against the Hammers. The performance of Mesut Ozil was also a plus and there are signs that the German is starting to hit top form.

Having already beaten Chelsea in the Community Shield, Wenger will be hoping that his players can achieve another victory against one of their main rivals, as they have struggled to claim results in the big games over recent years.

Recent form: LW


Liverpool

Liverpool's Northern Irish manager Brendan Rodgers applauds before the start of the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, northwest England, on August 17, 2014© Getty Images

Making the trip to the Emirates on Monday evening are a Liverpool side who have made a strong start to the new campaign.

The Reds began with a morale-boosting 1-0 victory on the first day of the season against Stoke City, having lost 6-1 to the Potters back in May.

Their next match saw them pitted against Premier League new boys Bournemouth at Anfield, and a goal from Christian Benteke saw them claim another 1-0 win.

However, the game was not without controversy, as the Cherries had an early goal from Tommy Elphick harshly ruled out, while Philippe Coutinho was offside and appeared to be interfering with play for Benteke's winning strike.

Although they have not been playing at their best, Brendan Rodgers will have been delighted by the results and the improved defensive displays from his team, who leaked a number of goals in the final months of last season.

Recent form: WW


Team News

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez celebrates Damien Delaney's own goal on August 16, 2015© Getty Images

Arsenal have no fresh injury worries and may stick with the same lineup that beat Palace last weekend.

Wenger has also said that Alexis Sanchez is back to full fitness, meaning that he could last the 90 minutes.

However, injured trio Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky all remain on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson is set to miss the trip to the Emirates, after limping off against Bournemouth with a foot injury.

His absence means that Emre Can should come into the midfield for his first start of the campaign, with James Milner being handed the captain's armband.

The Reds will also still be without Daniel Sturridge, Joe Allen and Jon Flanagan, who are all yet to feature this season.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Ramsey, Cazorla, Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Skrtel, Gomez; Can, Milner, Coutinho, Lallana, Ibe; Benteke


Head To Head

Arsenal have an impressive recent record against Liverpool and they have lost just one of the last eight meetings between the teams.

The Gunners have also won the previous three games at the Emirates, and they romped to a 4-1 victory in April when they last played.

However, Liverpool have won their last four Premier League matches on a Monday and have kept a clean sheet in three of those games.


Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:


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We say: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool

Arsenal are sure to be under pressure from their home supporters as they look to pick up their first points of the season at the Emirates. They struggled to break down West Ham in their opening match, and Liverpool could prove to be just as tough to beat. The Reds have looked more balanced in their opening two matches, but the potential loss of Henderson in the midfield will be a blow, and it looks to be the area where the game will be won and lost. It could be a tight and cagey affair, but we think that the Gunners will have just enough power in their attack to win the match.



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Written by
Alex Meyers
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Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho shoots to score the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Stoke City and Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, central England on August 9, 2015
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