da brdice： Few fixtures on the Premier League calendar offer the same level of goal-grabbing excitement as Liverpool vs Arsenal. From their 50 top flight meetings over the last 25 years, a whopping 137 goals have been scored – 17 of which have come from the last three encounters alone – and with both sides starting the season by offsetting potent attacks with worrying defensive frailties, the latest instalment at Anfield on Sunday (4pm kickoff) looks set to continue the high-scoring trend.
da 888： So, how should Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp approach this match tactically, where will the game be lost and won and perhaps most importantly, what will the final scoreline be? Here’s how this week’s experts – Robbie of ArsenalFanTV and Liverpool fan of Football Whispers fame Sam Maguire – reckon this one will pan out…
Should Klopp stick with his current starting XI after that dominant display over Hoffenheim in midweek or are changes need?
SM: Klopp changed things for the Crystal Palace game with the second leg against Hoffenheim in mind. Given there’s an international break after this match I think he’ll go with this best XI. However, I think we might see Joe Gomez start ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back for added security in the defensive third and extra height when defending set-pieces. Aside from that I see no reason to make any changes.
And should Wenger shuffle his pack after the 1-0 loss to Stoke last weekend?
RL: I would make changes to the starting XI. If Alexis Sanchez is fit he has to start. You have to bring your world-class players when you’re playing against Liverpool. Laurent Koscielny, now that he’s fit, has to come back into the team as well. I would possibly go with four at the back with Koscienly and Shkodran Mustafi in there. Or if it’s three at the back, Morenal has to come out. Apart from that – play everybody in their right positions!
We know this fixture always produces goals; is it a case of simply hoping you outscore Liverpool, or do Arsenal need to take a more measured approach?
RL: I hope we’re going to be much more measured because I think that’s the only way to really beat Liverpool; you have to defend properly which we haven’t done over the years – the main reason for all those scorelines. Outscoring them really hasn’t worked over the last few seasons, so I would like to see Arsenal be a lot more measured and try to catch Liverpool on the counter-attack. We’ve got pacey players who can hurt them up front because their defence isn’t the greatest and they’re not great from set pieces as well. I would love to see the sort of performance Arsenal put in a few seasons ago away at Manchester City – we went there, kept it really solid and took our chances on the break. That’s the way you have to play when you got to Anfield.
What opposition weakness can your side exploit?
SM: Their defence – they’ve conceded four goals in matches against Leicester City and Stoke City. I know that’s rich coming from a Liverpool fan when our defence is transparent at times but I’m not overly convinced with their set-up and I think Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah could cause them all kinds of problems.
RL: Definitely the defence. From set pieces they’re very poor and concede a lot of goals. Their confidence is low on set pieces as well, because they know they’re conceding. Also, I think we have to get at their back four, especially down the left-hand side where they’re not the strongest – whether it’s Alberto Moreno or Andrew Robertson. A bit similar to us, their defence just isn’t what it should be. I would definitely start with Alexandre Lacazette. I think he’s been playing really well and he’s an unknown quantity for Liverpool. But Giroud has a part to play as well – he’s got a decent record against Liverpool and always does well.
Where can Arsenal cause Liverpool the most damage and which players will be key in that?
SM: All they have to do is target Dejan Lovren and they’ll inevitably get chances. He’s aggressive in the air but this sometimes leads to him being caught out of position. If Arsenal play Giroud AND Lacazette then they could have some fun if the latter exploits the space left by the centre-back.
Finally gents, let’s hear your score predictions…
SM: I hate doing these. Liverpool 3-2 Arsenal.
RL: A high-scoring draw; 2-2.