Trial by fire, Arsenal welcome Liverpool to north London

Arsenal footballers are facing another tough match in the twenty-first round, and most importantly, a match that should make it clear to their rivals that they are rightfully at the top of the Premier League. The fact that their charges Mikel Arteta's have increased their lead at the top of the league table in the last two rounds means absolutely nothing at this stage of the competition. Sure, the view of the Premier League table is immediately a lot more pleasing, but the gap needs to continue At least maintain, ideally increase. And that's regardless of who Arsenal face. A team that aspires to the throne of English football must also manage matches against the strongest of opponents, of which Liverpool is undoubtedly one. The showdown between Arsenal and Liverpool will offer a clash between two top teams, so we all have something to look forward to! Now, let's move on together to the blog itself, where I will focus on everything essential to know before the game.

Form

Also today I will traditionally start with an assessment of the current and longer term form of both teams. Although both teams are in different states of mind at the moment, a match like the one between Arsenal and Liverpool will be just that, can't be considered an ordinary league game. Arsenal and Liverpool, along with Manchester City, have been among the absolute top teams in English football in recent years, and so every match between these teams is a big deal. Thursday's clash at the Emirates will be no exception.

Arsenal

For Arsenal, I'll follow the trend I've set, in which I'll first recap the last game and then continue with a form assessment. Arsenal's last performance in a league match at Vitality Stadium, which offered an attractive spectacle for the audience. An early mistake by Gabriel and Bournemouth's lead, which the Brazilian stopper himself made up for a few minutes later with an equalising goal, a subsequent turnaround and a two-goal lead thanks to player of the match Declan Rice, a Bournemouth contact goal and drama until the final whistle. Bournemouth's clash with Arsenal offered it all. In the end, the Gunners took three points from the south of England for a 3:2 win. The result is not convincing, but the performance of the Spanish manager's charges deserves praise.

Arsenal's victory at Vitality Stadium confirmed that they are his form has been very good in recent weeks. In the domestic competition, the Gunners stretched their winning streak to five games, in all competitions this series is even seven matches long (if I take the Cup progression after the penalty shootout over Crystal Palace as a full victory). In terms of table position, Arsenal still hold 1st place, currently six points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa. Since Arsenal's lead at the top of the table is not big, it is necessary to continue the winning streak against the reigning champion Liverpool.

Liverpool

Liverpool have played all of their last five competitive matches in the Premier League. The results of Arne Slote's charges from these matches are not downright bad, specifically Liverpool managed 3 wins and 2 draws. However, there are other things to look at than just the end results. Taking it one game at a time, Liverpool started this five-match series with a 2-0 home win against Brighton. A solid result. It was followed by a narrow 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which given the circumstances cannot be considered convincing. Tottenham played roughly an hour of the game shorthanded and still reached for an equaliser. In the end, Liverpool defended their narrow lead and earned the three points. Another close and unconvincing 2-1 victory was scored by the Reds at Anfield against last-placed Wolverhampton. Not the best performances were then responsible for Liverpool's last two results. First came a goalless draw with Leeds at home and then a 2-2 draw with Fulham away.

Overall, it is evident not only from the results but especially from Liverpool's performance that the team is not in the best of moods at the moment. The relatively extensive list of absentees, which I'm sure I'll get to in the next part of the blog today, also plays a part. So, to sum up Liverpool's current form, I have to call it average, although looking only at the results it may seem a little better.

As you all know all too well, I like to use table positions to evaluate longer term form. In my opinion, it is the most objective measure we have available. Liverpool's after twenty rounds played 4th place with 14 points behind the first Arsenal. Although the table position is not bad even for the reigning champion, the point loss to the leader is already quite significant. On the other hand, Liverpool's lead over its closest pursuers is not exactly comfortable.

Team and expected line-up

The extremely demanding and extremely important home game against Liverpool combined with the cup games mean only one thing in terms of the starting line-up for Thursday's game. Mikel Arteta reaches for the strongest possible starting eleven, that he will have at his disposal. In my opinion, the composition of the starting line-up is clear. Let's move on together to the Gunners' expected lineup.

Expected line-up

Even before Mikel Arteta's traditional pre-match press conference, I was wondering about the left fullback position. After that, it's all clear. Riccardo Calafiori will still be unavailable, so Piero Hincapie will most likely be starting again on the left edge of the defensive back four. For the rest of the starting eleven, there is nothing to discuss in my opinion. So to pick up on what I wrote a little while ago, the entire defensive and midfield line-up will be the same as at Vitality Stadium. The only changes will be in the offensive line, specifically on the edges of the midfield. Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard will return to the wings, who were replaced in the starting line-up against Bournemouth Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.

Absences

Injuries won't allow either of the pair to play Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori. The same applies to Max Dowman. All other players should be available, but not everyone will fit into the match nomination. Personally, I think they'll be missed again Ethan Nwaneri and Kai Havertz. The young Englishman is low in the team hierarchy (which is understandable given his age), while the German footballer has been absent due to injury for over three months and a return to the pitch in such a match is very unlikely. Anyway, I hope both of them will get space in the upcoming cup games.

About the opponent

Liverpool probably doesn't need much introduction. The championship title from last season speaks for itself. I have already discussed the form of Arne Slote's team today, as well as its table position. So I'll move straight to the star-studded squad, which has really great quality.

I'll start with the three poles, where the Brazilian goalkeeper is a long-time mainstay. Alisson. Practically the same applies to the team captain Virgil van Dijk. But the star names in the Liverpool squad can be found mainly in the midfield or in the attack. Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominique Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Mohammed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak. That's a solid list, don't you think? And that's not all, just a list of the biggest stars.

But not everyone will be available at Emirates Stadium. Liverpool's absentees are certainly not few. Long-term out of the game are Stefan Bajcevic, Wataru Endō and Giovanni Leoni. With all due respect to all the players mentioned, Liverpool could probably do without them. The other absences are, dare I say it, crucial. A serious injury has put a big summer signing out of action for an extended period, Alexander Isak. In addition, he also missed the last game against Fulham due to a muscle injury. Hugo Ekitike. The French striker's start in Thursday's match at the Emirates remains uncertain. Arne Slot confirmed at the pre-match press conference that Ekitike has not trained with the team yet. However, we all know very well that this is more of a statement not to say. Personally, I would guess that the lanky Frenchman will be part of the Liverpool squad. But let's be surprised. To make matters worse for the Reds, he will certainly be missed. Mohammed Salah, who's on national duty.

Match

To be honest, I don't really I don't know what to expect from the Arsenal-Liverpool game. When the Gunners hosted Aston Villa in north London a few days ago, I expected at least the beginning of the game to be a tactical battle with minimal chances. The opposite was true. I would normally have had similar expectations for the Arsenal v Liverpool clash, but the Villans game made me quite nervous. However, if I had to guess what the course of the last game of the twenty-first round would be, I would stick to my original opinion. A tactical battle between two advanced teams that will escalate as time passes.

Given the current form, table position and the fact that it will be played in north London, I also think that Arsenal will be more dominant in this game. Mikel Arteta's charges should outperform their opponents in terms of possession and territorial superiority, and should therefore logically dictate the pace of the game. Despite the fact that the bookmakers quite clearly favour the Gunners (the current odds are quite similar to those of the Bournemouth vs Arsenal match), I wouldn't say that Arsenal players have an easy task ahead of them.. On the contrary. My personal tip is that this time we won't see as many goals as in previous Arsenal games. In my opinion, the battle at the Emirates could be decided by a single goal, just like in August at Anfield. This time, however, into the right goal. I predict Arsenal to win 1:0.

Next match

The next match awaits Arsenal players this weekend, specifically on Sunday 11 Jan 2026, when the FA Cup will be played at 15:00 (CET) on the lawn at Fratton Park, where he plays his home games second division Portsmouth. Arsenal's schedule will then include three more away games in three different competitions. But I'll get to all that in turn.

See you next time, I'll look forward to it!

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