Arsenal make the trip to Anfield as they face Liverpool in the late kick off on Sunday. One of their remaining tests in the run-in to the end of the season, a win here could dash Man City fans’ hopes of a seventh Premier League title.
In recent years, this fixture could be predicted to bring plenty of goals but ultimately the three points always heading to Merseyside. However, a change of fortunes this campaign sees league-leaders Arsenal currently eight points clear of City – this could close to five if City beat Southampton on Saturday night.
Make or Break For Jürgen Klopp?
A draw away at Chelsea on Tuesday night would usually be a positive result for Liverpool if history is anything to go by, but with the Blues sat in the bottom half of the league, Liverpool felt they missed a chance to close the gap on the European places above.
Unlike Arsenal, they’ve struggled at both ends of the pitch this season, most notably shipping four in against a City side without the electric Erling Haaland. The impact of this has been compounded by the under-par tally of just 11 league goals for Mohamed Salah so far. In addition to this, Darwin Núñez’s struggles in front of goal, since making the move from Benfica last summer, have been evident.
Their season hasn’t come without highlights though, a huge 7-0 win over old rivals Manchester United will live in the memory of the fixture for a long time to come.
Despite this, Klopp’s record and the fact he brought the first Premier League title to Liverpool has earnt him plenty of credit in the bank – this season may just be an anomaly.
Emulating ‘The Invincibles’?
What was a good start to the season by the Gunners soon became a great one when they got through a tricky period in January beating Spurs away and snatching a last-minute winner at home to United.
Any hopes of running away with the title were soon shortcut, when losses to Everton and City came either side of a faltering draw against Brentford.
Testament to Mikel Arteta’s side, since then they’ve won every game, conceding just six and firing home 23 in that time.
That security in defence has made the difference for the club this campaign. With a luxury of attacking and creative players in the past, such as Mesut Özil, Santi Cazorla and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, it hasn’t been a secret that they lacked the backline to really challenge for another league title since ‘The Invincibles’.
Having dropped points in just six of the 29 league games in 2022/23, they’re well on their way to overtaking the record 90 points that that undefeated side achieved.
JD Predicts
When the two sides went head-to-head at Anfield in November 2021, Klopp’s side ran riot with a 4-0 win. We can’t see that happening this time though…
With the shift of form and league positions, we’re expecting a response from Liverpool, but it won’t be enough to stop Arsenal with a 2-1 win. How do you see it going? Let us know your score predictions across our socials on @jdfootball!
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