Review of the match “Arsenal” – “Liverpool” and player ratings

Liverpool take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London this weekend in week nine of the Premier League schedule. Liverpool are top of the Premier League, while Arsenal are third, four points behind the Reds. The win takes them seven points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table and one point behind Manchester City – provided they beat Southampton.

The Reds come into this game with eleven wins from twelve games and are currently on an eight-game winning streak before suffering defeat following defeat to Nottingham Forest in mid-September.

However, Arsenal go into this game in much more difficult circumstances, having lost a number of key players to injury over the past few weeks and currently losing their star centre-back William Saliba to suspension. The Gunners’ starting line-up will look completely different. to what we are used to.

Arsenal

The London team will be without several players in this game due to injuries and suspensions. The most famous of this group is star defender William Saliba. The Frenchman was suspended after his red card in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend. Other missing players could include Riccardo Calafiori, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, who did not train yesterday. However, it must be said that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has been incredibly coy about the status of these players and whether they are officially ruled out or not. Unfortunately, we won’t know until the teams are announced on Sunday.

Liverpool

Liverpool, all things considered, will enter this match relatively healthy. Arne Slot revealed In his press conference on Friday, he said a number of them would soon return to training, namely recent signing Federico Chiesa and young right-back Conor Bradley. Diogo Jota was ruled out with a rib bruise suffered against Chelsea last weekend, while Alisson Becker was confirmed to be at least out for that match and the clash with Brighton. It was also revealed by James Pearce that Trent Alexander-Arnold is suffering from a muscle problem a scan has revealed. “managed”.

Here’s how we think both teams will line up on Sunday.

Arsenal – (4-2-2-2)

Paradise; Partey, White, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Merino; Saka, Martinelli; Havertz, Trossard

Liverpool – (4-2-3-1)

GK: Caoimhin Kelleher – With Alisson still sidelined and with concerns, he may not return until the next international break at the end of November. The 25-year-old Irishman again led the team. After incredible performances at Chelsea and RB Leipzig last week, he looks set to continue his stunning form in the biggest game of the year.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – After being substituted earlier against RB Leipzig, most assumed it was due to this weekend’s rest, but it emerged the Scouser had some muscle problems which are now being resolved. With Conor Bradley also missing the game due to his own injury, we can hardly afford to lose our big gun in the next series of games.

CB: Ibrahima Konate – Continuing his ridiculous start to the season, Yibou will need to be in top form this weekend as Arsenal and their standard antics will pose a threat. His 80%+ aerial win percentage (the highest of any centre-back) will be at the forefront of the Reds’ defense against the Gunners.

CB: Virgil van Dijk – What’s extremely funny about Big Virg is the fact that the man puts in world-class performances every week and it goes unnoticed because it’s simply the accepted norm for a player of his caliber. Both he and his partner Yibou will have a tough time defending every set piece against this Arsenal team.

LB: Andrew Robertson – Having been rested in midweek and allowing Konstas Tsimikas to come on, Robertson will be entirely reliant on his own half to defend against Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. It remains to be seen whether the young Englishman will play in this game, and whether Arteta risks aggravating any injury he may suffer. But if the Gunners manager is anything like his old boss Pep Guardiola, Saka will be in this game and Robbo should be in fine form.

CDM: Ryan Gravenberch – The young Dutchman became a regular presence in midfield, demonstrating game after game as a top defensive midfielder. It’s like he woke up at the beginning of the season and decided he was going to be the best linebacker in the league. I’m waiting for another controlling performance from the young man. It’s scary to think that he is only 22 years old.

CDM: Alexis Mac Allister – The unsung hero of the midfield, quietly producing play after play, controlling the tempo and flow of the midfield and allowing others around him to flourish. He does all the little things and simple things right which allows our midfield to be one of the best this season. Watch the whole thing in this game and I promise you, you will see what we all see.

RW: Mohamed Salah – The Egyptian king has excelled this season, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists in twelve games. He is second only to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka in terms of assists this season. Given Arsenal’s depleted backline, I expect our strikers, especially Salah, to enjoy themselves. He’ll be facing young Lewis-Skelly in this game and I’m sorry to see the young man facing Mo in this form.

DAC: Dominik Szoboszlai – Improved results in the last match against RB Leipzig and further improved results against Chelsea last weekend. In midweek we saw that Dom has the ability to help us break down low blocks, which we suspect will be a key element of this game given Arsenal’s defensive woes. These quick short passes and short one-two moves will be crucial if we are to break down Arsenal’s defence.

LW: Luis Diaz. Rested in midweek, Lucio will be an important part of our attack this weekend. If our prediction for Arsenal comes true, he will face either Thomas Partey at right-back or Jurrien Timber/Jakub Kivior. Arsenal could place Ben White on this side purely to cope with the Colombian’s pace, but that would then leave the central channels open for players like Darwin Nunez to break into the box and run in behind.

ST: Darwin Nunes – After consistent excellent performances, with a ridiculous work ethic against Chelsea and a poaching mentality against RB Leipzig for the winning goal, Darwin comes into this game with a golden opportunity to cement his position as the starting striker in the absence of Diogo Jota. With Arsenal’s defense sorely lacking in size and muscle, with the exception of Gabriel Magalhães, Nunez is in a great position to use his physicality, pace, height, aerial skills and work-rate to run around the Gunners’ defenders. Really excited to see him this weekend.

Arsenal – Gabriel Magalhaes

With Arsenal’s defense depleted, Gabriel will be at the mercy of the Liverpool attack bearing down on him. He, the makeshift back four, will need to remain organized and error-free if they come away with a clean slate.

Liverpool – Darwin Nunez

Nunez has a chance to cement his place in the starting line-up for this game, with the defense as shaky as the Gunners currently are, Darwin’s pace and strength will need to be used to the fullest, as well as his work ethic returning to midfield and winning duels throughout field. His height and aerial ability will be needed when defending set pieces, but I can see him scoring a goal or assist in this game and continuing his form over the last two games.

Where?

Emirates Stadium, London, UK

Time?

The match starts at 16:30 GMT.

Match officials?

Referee: Anthony Taylor. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: Sam Barrott. VAR: Michael Salisbury. Assistant VAR: Darren Cann.

Previous results?

In the last 36 meetings between the two teams, Liverpool have dominated the match with 14 wins, Arsenal with 8 wins, and on 14 occasions the match has ended in a draw.