Arsenal v Liverpool preview

Wenger: Difficult week

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Arsenal and Liverpool meet at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night in a fixture which would appear to encapsulate what has been a bizarre season both on and off the field.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger went against his years of experience to deliver a strange rant about the behaviour of the media on Tuesday to give an insight into his frustration at comprehensive, back-to-back defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea.

The successive losses to their rivals have led many to rule Arsenal out of the title race and that has also led their French manager to claim that he is limited by the reality of financial responsibility when compared to other Premier League clubs.

To make matters all the more confusing for Arsenal, an underachieving and hierarchically unstable Liverpool could move to within two points of Wenger's side, who, according to their manager, are still in the title race, if they record a rare win in North London.

Liverpool's main aim for the majority of this season has been to win their fight for a top-four place and a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League, but they will be well aware that a first league win at Arsenal since Titi Camara struck in 2000 would put third position well within reach.

Confidence

Reds captain Steven Gerrard knows that his team have rediscovered some confidence after Saturday's 10-man Merseyside derby win stretched Rafa Benitez's side's unbeaten league run to seven games.

But despite the fact that Merseyside eyes are now looking up the table, the Reds skipper has also compared the danger of Arsenal to a 'wounded animal' and his fourth-placed club are also nervous of the threat of Manchester City's games in hand.

The priority for Arsenal is to get a pursuit of Chelsea and United back on track, while also squashing the threat from below, and their dominant home record over Liverpool will breed confidence.

Arsenal will also have the memory of their turnaround victory at Anfield in mid-December when a half-time dressing down from Wenger inspired a 2-1 victory courtesy of a Glen Johnson own goal and a superb strike from Andrey Arshavin.

The Russian has five goals in his last two games against Liverpool after his away-day heroics last season and he will again spearhead his side's attack in the injury absence of long-term victim Robin van Persie and Eduardo.

Physical presence

Nicklas Bendtner could start after coming off the bench against Chelsea to add some physical presence to the frontline, however, Kieran Gibbs (foot) and Johan Djourou (knee) remain unavailable.

Liverpool are again without injury-prone midfielder Alberto Aquilani as the £20million summer signing from Roma is recovering from illness.

Centre-back Sotirios Kyrgiakos starts a three-match suspension after being sent off in the Merseyside derby and is also sidelined for forthcoming games against City and Blackburn.

He is likely to be replaced by Martin Skrtel, who was dropped to the bench at the weekend, as Daniel Agger continues in the centre of defence with Jamie Carragher on the right.

Star striker Fernando Torres (knee), Yossi Benayoun (rib) and Johnson (knee) are not expected to be back in action until March at the earliest.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Clichy, Vermaelen, Gallas, Song, Fabregas, Denilson, Arshavin, Nasri, Bendtner.

Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Kuyt, Mascherano, Lucas, Riera, Gerrard, Ngog.