Arsenal vs Liverpool Preview and Betting Tip

We are back in action this weekend after the International break. The match I’ll be taking a look at is Arsenal vs Liverpool. This heavyweight clash kicks off at 8.00 pm on Saturday night and you can watch it live on Sky Sports. In years gone by there would be a lot more at stake in this fixture but this season both sides are hoping they can keep their faint Top 4 hopes alive.

The Gunners come into this match as the underdogs and they can be backed at 23/10. Liverpool are the 5/4 favourites while the draw is chalked up at 27/10. Will Arteta’s men make home advantage count? Or will Klopp’s Reds make it 5 away wins from 6 in the Premier League? It has all the makings of a cracking contest, hopefully with lots of goals.  

Gunners Searching For Consistency

It is getting to the stage of the season when the table truly reflects the performance levels of each team in the Premier League. Arsenal currently sit in 9th place with 42 points. They are 9 points off the Top 4 and 29 points behind the leaders Man City and I don’t think Mikel Arteta can have any arguments with their lowly position. The Gunners have most definitely made progress in some areas under the Spaniard but consistency has so far eluded them.

The most games they have managed to win consecutively is three and their form figures for their last 10 EPL matches pretty much sum up their season (W4 D3 L3). Last time out they were 3-0 down after half an hour vs West Ham. It was as poor a start as you’ll see and it looked like there might be a rout on the cards. However, they managed to produce a stirring fightback that saw Lacazette score a late equaliser to make it 3-3.

That is Arsenal in a nutshell this season, the ridiculously poor mixed with the sublime. What will they serve up on Saturday? Who knows, but one thing is for certain, it should definitely be entertaining. The likes of Saka (who is an injury doubt), Pepe and Aubameyang have the pace to cause Liverpool lots of problems up front and Odegaard has made a positive impact since coming into the team. If their frontmen are firing, Arsenal have enough quality to give Liverpool a proper game.

Things Looking Up For Liverpool

Successive wins and clean sheets before the international break vs Leipzig and Wolves have lifted the gloom at Liverpool. They have a huge Champions League match in Madrid to look forward to on Tuesday night and Jurgen Klopp will have one eye on that. He named a weakened team the weekend before the 2-0 UCL win vs Leipzig and it would be no surprise if he stuck to the same formula on Saturday. They could be 8 points behind 4th placed Chelsea by the time this match kicks off and I think Klopp believes their best chance of getting Champions League football is by winning that tournament this season.

Liverpool will be without Henderson but at least Firmino might be fit to return. Andy Robertson played 270 minutes for Scotland in the past week so he could well be rested. Wijnaldum also played a lot of minutes for the Netherlands. On the plus side, Fabinho has had a nice break and both Keita and Thiago were used sparingly by their countries.

Mo Salah was in action for Egypt and he bagged a brace against Comoros. His interview with Marca made more headlines though and speculation is mounting about his future at the club. In the 1-0 defeat to Fulham Klopp started Nat Phillips, Rhys Williams, Neco Williams, Xherdan Shaqiri and James Milner. I can see him doing the same again and there may even be more changes than that. If he does decide to heavily rotate, Liverpool could be in for a tough night at The Emirates.     

Arsenal vs Liverpool Premier League Head-To-Head

As you can see, this is a fixture that has historically produced goals. Arsenal have won just 1 of their last 5 vs Liverpool but they are unbeaten in their last 3 against them at The Emirates in the EPL (W1 D2). This season The Gunners lost 4 in a row at home between October and December but since then they have improved. They have lost only 1 of their last 8 on their own patch, a 1-0 reversal vs Man City.

Liverpool have found things a lot easier away from home in the Premier League. They are winless in 8 at Anfield, losing the last 6 in a row. Their solid away form has kept them in the hunt for a Top 4 finish. They have won 4 of their last 5 on the road, including wins in London at Spurs and West Ham. They will be hoping they can keep that excellent run going on Saturday. However, it won’t be easy, especially if Klopp decides to ring the changes.

Goals On The Cards

These two teams have a habit of producing fireworks in attack when they meet in the Premier League. In the last six meetings there has been a total of 24 goals, an average of 4 goals per game. Given the defensive records of both teams this term, there is no reason to expect anything different on Saturday.

Liverpool have conceded a total of 36 goals this season and Arsenal have shipped 32. I think the visitors will play a weakened team and that could hand the initiative to The Gunners. Liverpool have enough depth up top to still be dangerous, but they could be found out defensively. I like the look of the 17/4 about Arsenal to win and both teams to score and that is the recommended bet.

Arsenal vs Liverpool Tip: Arsenal to win and both teams to score @ 17/4 BetVictor

Key Quotes – Arsenal vs Liverpool

Mikel Arteta – “The immediate priority is Liverpool. We know that if we want to climb the table and have a chance to be in Europe next season through the Premier League, we need some consistency now in the last nine games. We need to get on a run of winning matches. The only way to do it is to start against Liverpool. We don’t have any margin and we have to win that game.

Mo Salah on his Liverpool future – “It’s not up to me. We’ll see what happens but I prefer not to talk about that now. I hope to be able to play for many more years. Why not (play in Spain)? No one knows what’s going to happen in the future. So…maybe one day, yes.”

Dave Stevos