Live match preview – Arsenal vs Liverpool 16.03.2022

Liverpool can move one point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with a win at Arsenal on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports, so can Jurgen Klopp’s side get a pivotal victory at the Emirates?

Following City’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Monday, the Reds now trail Pep Guardiola’s side by just four points and have one game in hand – Wednesday night’s match at Arsenal.

Liverpool also face City at the Etihad Stadium in April, live on Sky Sports, meaning that if Klopp’s side win all of their remaining 10 matches, they will be crowned champions.

But, despite winning eight consecutive league matches, Liverpool face a real examination of their title credentials in north London on Wednesday as they face a buoyant Arsenal, who have won their last five matches.

The Gunners restored their place in the top four after Sunday’s comfortable 2-0 win over Leicester at the Emirates and still have three games in hand on fifth-placed Manchester United.

Liverpool have already got the better of Arsenal this season – 4-0 at home in the league, and 2-0 over two legs in the Carabao Cup semi-final – and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson expects them to win again on Wednesday.

“Watching both cup games, I’d be shocked if they [Arsenal] turned it around that quickly,” said Merson.

“Liverpool look like they’re more established. Liverpool have got to go out and win this game. Arsenal have done what they’ve had to do – they’ve beat the other teams.

“We haven’t talked too many times and said, ‘Oh, Arsenal have drawn with Watford at home 0-0’. Man Utd haven’t won games they should have won and Arsenal have.

“If you do that, it doesn’t really matter what you do against the big three. They’ve been consistent against the teams they should beat.”

‘Arsenal will kick themselves if they don’t get top four’

After five seasons without a top-four finish, there is an air of caution around Mikel Arteta’s side despite their commanding position in the race for that final Champions League spot.

Fixtures against top-four rivals Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham await them – but Merson thinks they have done enough.

The former Arsenal midfielder said: “They’ve got two big games coming up this week, with Liverpool and then Aston Villa. It’s in their hands. They’ll be kicking themselves if they don’t.

“They’ve got Man Utd at home as well, so I think Arsenal are getting the top four. But they’ve got some hard fixtures coming up.”

Merse on Ramsdale importance

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale is the best English goalkeeper in the Premier League after the 23-year-old put in yet another impressive display against the Foxes on Sunday.

Merson felt the win was never in doubt for Arteta’s side – and puts a lot of that down to the calming influence of Ramsdale at the back for Arsenal.

“In the first half when Leicester started getting on top, you always felt like Arsenal would be alright,” said Merson. “A year or so ago you’d have thought, ‘They’ll collapse here’.

“They’ve got a goalie now who makes big saves at big times. Brendan Rodgers summed it up with his reaction. But last year that goes in and then Arsenal are on the ropes, the other team have got the momentum, and they go on and lose the game.

“But he just makes big saves at the right time, and then second half I thought they were really good.”

Carra highlights Arsenal’s ‘very impressive’ tactical tweak

Jamie Carragher praised Mikel Arteta for an “impressive” tactical switch which has underpinned Arsenal’s resurgence – but warned it could also be exploited by Liverpool in Wednesday’s crunch Premier League match.

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher said: “I want to look at Arsenal defensively. Over the last 11 games, they have only conceded seven goals. It’s very reminiscent of Manchester City.

“I want to look at the pressing of Martin Odegaard and then Granit Xhaka, leaving Thomas Partey free. Odegaard is a pressing machine, along with Martinelli.

“They are really high up the pitch and Xhaka is covering 11 kilometres a game because he is being asked to do a lot more.

“But sometimes it isn’t right to go [and press] and there are spaces either side of Partey. In the game against Liverpool, that is something they will have to be careful about when they press. They have to be mindful of that.

“But what l am seeing from Arsenal, and the slight tweak in midfield, is very impressive.”

Neville: Liverpool strikeforce could trump City to title

Liverpool’s attacking riches would have got them over the line at Crystal Palace whereas Manchester City’s didn’t – and the Reds’ strikeforce could be the difference in the title race, says Gary Neville.

“If Liverpool play that game [at Palace], they win that game because they have better strikers and finishers,” he told Monday Night Football. “They are more ruthless and there is more of them, five players you would put your money on.

“Whereas at City, there are more wide players playing in those positions. Phil Foden is a midfielder player but he’s playing centre-forward. Jack Grealish could be a midfielder, but he plays on the left of a three up front.

“City have got outstanding players in that team, fantastic players, but for as brilliant as they are, they are not the most ruthless or clinical in front of goal.

“The difference at the end of the season could just be down the fact that Liverpool have more strikers who are clinical and suited to scoring goals. We’ve known that all season with City, the only thing that could let them down is that.”

Partey: Arsenal belong in the Champions League

Pundit view: Arsenal’s big test?

Sky Sports‘ Jamie Redknapp: “They have a massive game against Liverpool. It feels like a big one from both the point of view of Liverpool and Arsenal in terms of the title and getting into the top-four.”

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on Sky Sports: “That match against Liverpool on Wednesday will show how far they have come against the big sides. At the beginning of the season, there was a big gap. So, the next thing will be can they do it against the big teams.”

Team news

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has not yet ruled Takehiro Tomiyasu out of Wednesday’s match.

The Japanese defender has missed the last six games with a calf injury but Arteta revealed they are proceeding cautiously with his recovery.

“Tomi is the only one that’s still there in contention [to miss the game]” the Spaniard stated.

“We have been trying to push him, but with the handbrake a little bit because we need to be careful as we don’t want to get another injury with him. We don’t know [if tomorrow is too soon]. Let’s see how he trains today.”

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp called Mohamed Salah a “tough cookie” and says he is ready to train ahead of the Arsenal match.

Salah was substituted moments after scoring a second-half penalty in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Brighton on Saturday with a foot problem.

Doubts over his fitness were heightened when he missed training on Monday ahead of the midweek visit to the Emirates, but Liverpool manager Klopp confirmed the Egypt international has recovered well.

Arteta: We haven’t done anything yet

Asked if Arsenal are one of the best teams in the country at the moment, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta replied: “No, there are better teams in the country because that’s what the league table shows.

“We haven’t done anything. What we are doing is try to improve, understand better what we want, being much more consistent in performance and results, but nothing else as yet.

“Credit to Jurgen, the coaching staff and to the club as well for what they have created. They haven’t just created a team that can compete and be successful.

“They have created a huge cultural understanding of who Liverpool is today. The stadium and the atmosphere they can create, the support, the level, how they communicate.

“It’s a lot of things, not just individuals, or the players that they have recruited and the plan that they had to reach that level. It’s a whole plan that I really value, I think.”

Klopp: We’ll keep annoying Man City

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said ahead of the match: “That’s the plan of course, to keep being as annoying as possible [for Man City].

“We have to win our football games. We’re very ambitious and determined to do great stuff, but we respect a lot how good they are.

“We respect even more all the other teams we will face. There are few really tough ones. Each Premier League game is tough but a few are especially tough and one of them we play tomorrow night.

“I’m sitting here and if I was to say ‘we will win 10 games’, that doesn’t sound very likely, but as long as it’s possible we will give it a proper try, I can tell you.”

How to follow Arsenal vs Liverpool

Watch Arsenal vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League from 7.30pm (kick off 8.15pm), or follow in our dedicated live match blog featuring in-game highlights. Full match highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at the final whistle.

How the table stands

Last time out…

Opta stats: Will Arsenal or Liverpool’s unbeaten run come to an end?

• Arsenal come into this match currently on a five-match winning run in the Premier League, and Liverpool do so having won each of their last eight in the competition; it’s only the third time in the competition’s history that two sides will face each other while both on 5+ game winning runs, and the first since a 4-4 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool at Anfield in April 2009.
• Arsenal have won just one of their last 18 meetings with Liverpool in all competitions (D8 L9), beating them 2-1 at home in July 2020 with the Reds as recently crowned champions.
• Liverpool have won their last two away games against Arsenal in all competitions, as many as they had in their previous 24 visits to the Emirates/Highbury combined (D10 L12). The Reds have never won three in a row away against the Gunners in their history.
• Arsenal have failed to score in any of their last five meetings with Liverpool in all competitions, since an Alexandre Lacazette strike at Anfield in September 2020. Only against the Reds themselves have the Gunners had a longer run without a goal in their history (6 games between 1997 and 2000).
• Liverpool have won their last eight Premier League games, scoring 21 goals and conceding just two in this run. Away from home, the Reds have only failed to win five of their 14 Premier League games this season (D3 L2), though four of those came against London clubs.
• Arsenal are looking to win six consecutive Premier League games for the first time since a run of seven between August and October 2018 under Unai Emery. At home, the Gunners have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League games (W10 D2), going down 2-1 against Manchester City on New Year’s Day.

How to watch Premier League highlights on Sky Sports Digital

Anybody in the UK can watch highlights for free on the Sky Sports app or the Score Centre app on your iPhone or Android:

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Sky Sports’ digital platforms are the home of live blogs for every Premier League game, including commentary, analysis and team line-ups. Users with a free Sky ID can watch in-game clips from Sky live games in our dedicated live blogs.

Premier League review: Man Utd’s resurgence, but same old Spurs? Chelsea’s touch of fortune, Arsenal’s juggernaut and Everton’s bad weekend

After a weekend of renewed hope for some and concerns mounting for others – look away Everton – Ron Walker is joined by digital football journalists Zinny Boswell and Dan Sansom on the latest Essential Football Podcast to chew the fat on a big round of Premier League games.

Part 1 | What does Man Utd’s win over Spurs mean for the top-four race? Where did Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden return to form come from? Was it same-old Spurs on the big stage? Plus: Chelsea fans give us their thoughts on the situation at Stamford Bridge, Trevoh Chalobah gets away with a big penalty shout and Kai Havertz continues to impress.

Part 2 | Just how comfortable were Arsenal in their win over Leicester? Could Aaron Ramsdale be England’s No 1 by the World Cup? Are Everton really in the mire after Frank Lampard loses his unbeaten home record? Plus: A big win for Watford, Jesse Marsch gets off the mark at Leeds and Southampton’s streaks continue to confuse.

Watch Arsenal vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports Premier League from 7.30pm on Wednesday; Kick off 8.15pm