I have to admit, I feel dramatically better going into our home game against Arsenal after we flexed our offensive muscles against Hoffenheim in the Champions League – something the visitors won’t be experiencing this year.
Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino have given us tasters to what they’re capable of as a hydra, they’ve proved they can pick a part teams and now it’s time for them to show the Premier League why they should fear Liverpool.
Speaking of the Premier League – if we isolated our performances purely in that competition, we’ve not been all that convincing; the cynic in me says shipping three goals against Watford and only scraping a 1-0 against Palace is a dreadful start but the optimist in me looks at the fact we’ve scored three goals away from home and were unlucky to not come away with three points but we did get all three against Palace.
Two sides of the same coin.
Team News
Reports are flying around that Simon Mignolet won’t even be included in the squad to face Arsenal, presuming Loris Karius starts and Danny Ward makes the bench.
I’d welcome to change but if Mignolet isn’t injured or ill then it mightn’t be wise to change your first-choice ‘keeper for a game against Arsenal.
Two of Liverpool’s outstanding players so far this season are doubts for the Gunners’ visit to Anfield; Emre Can and Trent Alexander-Arnold might miss the game after picking up knocks in the Hoffenheim game.
Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne and, of course, Phil Coutinho will sit out this one.
Arsenal’s only missing first-team player is Santi Cazorla because of a long-term injury.
Current Form
Liverpool (last four results in all competitions) –
Watford 3-3 Liverpool
Hoffenheim 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace
Liverpool 4-2 Hoffenheim
Arsenal (last three results in all competitions) –
Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (3-1p)
Arsenal 4-3 Leicester
Stoke 1-0 Arsenal
I mean, I thought we had a rocky start…we were literally one goal away from having a dramatically better start to the season than Arsenal.
Prediction
Liverpool and Arsenal always provide quality entertainment for the neutral fan and I’d be tempted to predict a 4-3 win for Liverpool and given our defence and attack, that’d definitely more than possible.
Arsenal will want to prove a point; we are the team that took their place in the Champions League – they won’t want to look the weaker side.
Liverpool will do what they always do against the big boys; we’ll try and hit them for two or three in the opening half hour.
It wouldn’t surprise me if we went in at half-time 3-1 up.
I think, at the full-time whistle, it’ll be Liverpool 3-3 Arsenal.
If you’d like to strongly disagree with me or remind me of what I’ve written, when Ox scores a hat-trick in a 3-0 loss for Liverpool, you can find me on Twitter – @StevenCarsonNR
