Liverpool vs Arsenal. Premier League.
AnfieldAttendance53,092.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and defender Andy Robertson face late fitness tests; Arsenal could be without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Partey; watch Liverpool vs Arsenal live on Saturday Night Football on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm
Friday 19 November 2021 15:29, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Liverpool vs Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and defender Andy Robertson face late fitness tests ahead of the visit of Arsenal.
The pair returned from international duty with minor issues and that has restricted their participation to recovery work away from the main squad.
Forward Sadio Mane has recovered from the bruised ribs sustained playing for Senegal but boss Jurgen Klopp's longer-term injury list includes Roberto Firmino (hamstring), Joe Gomez (calf), Curtis Jones (eye), Harvey Elliott (ankle) with James Milner and Naby Keita (both hamstring) closest to returning next week.
Liverpool provisional squad: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Fabinho, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Jota, Mane, Kelleher, Williams, Konate, Phillips, Morton, Minamino, Origi, Henderson, Robertson.
Arsenal could be without striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and midfielder Thomas Partey for the trip to Anfield.
Aubameyang returned early from international duty and manager Mikel Arteta said he would have to be assessed ahead of the match, while Partey was unable to go on international duty and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for the game.
The Gunners will also continue to be without defender Sead Kolasinac and midfielder Granit Xhaka with a left ankle and knee ligament injury respectively.
Provisional Arsenal team: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tavares, Saka, Lokonga, Maitland-Niles, Smith Rowe, Lacazette, Odegaard, Leno, Tierney, Aubameyang, Holding, Soares, Pepe, Elneny, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Liverpool vs Arsenal is live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Arsenal were 15 places below Liverpool in September. They will go above them with a win at Anfield. Football works in strange ways, eh?
Can Mikel Arteta's boys go to that next level with a win here? The 11/2 with Sky Bet may tempt a few in. Not me though.
This will probably be a step too far but I think they can make this a difficult evening for Liverpool. Instead of backing a pro-Arsenal angle, I'm interested in the goals line.
Past meetings looks to have played a big factor in how the goal line has been priced up with 49 goals having been scored in the last 11 Premier League encounters between these two, averaging at 4.5 goals per game. That probably explains why the over 2.5 goals line is 1/2 with Sky Bet. It's a price that looks woefully short when you analyse Arsenal's impressive defensive numbers in recent weeks.
I can see this being a low-scoring, slow-burner with the Gunners likely to focus on being hard to break down.
The Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Gabriel axis continues to impress - shown by our back-to-back winners on Arsenal wins to nil against Leicester and Watford.
In eight games, the trio have conceded just four goals with an expected goals against figure of 7.1 backing up their strong actual numbers. They have also yet to concede a goal in the first half in those eight matches. This will obviously be the stiffest task they've faced taking on Liverpool's deadly attack but it's hard to argue with Arsenal's defensive output.
The 6/4 with Sky Bet for under 2.5 goals is the play.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-0
BETTING ANGLE: Back under 2.5 goals (6/4 with Sky Bet)
Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness, and football writers Oliver Yew and Ben Grounds to look ahead to the Premier League weekend.
PART 1 | How will Liverpool respond after their first defeat of the season? Graeme Souness explains why they'll be 'full throttle' against an Arsenal side who, he feels, are still a long way off, despite their recent unbeaten run
PART 2 | Oliver Yew and Ben Grounds look at the contrasting impacts of Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus this season, and discuss Fabien Delph's surprise return to form with Everton, ahead of his side's trip to a club he won two Premier League titles with
PART 3 | Harry Kane scored seven goals in two games during the international break but will that translate to the Premier League? We talk Tottenham ahead of Antonio Conte's first home league game in charge, and explain the reasons behind Leeds' slow start.
