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The phrase ‘game of the season’ gets bandied around a lot these days, but this weekend’s meeting of the Premier League’s top two, Liverpool and Arsenal, is undoubtedly the biggest game of the campaign so far.
The Gunners sit atop the table by a single point going into the weekend – although Aston Villa can leapfrog both when hosting lowly Sheffield United on Friday night.
It has been a promising season in a rather unusual way for both Liverpool and Arsenal to this point, no doubt buoyed by the unexpected drop-off by defending champions Manchester City.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have not exploded with the huge scorelines of the German’s previous teams but, as evidenced by the midweek thrashing of West Ham, can turn it on to become unplayable at the drop of a hat.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal also appear surprisingly tight following the rambunctious chaos of last year’s title challenge, instead regularly nicking late wins in tight games – something which many see as the mark of champions.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Liverpool vs Arsenal is scheduled for a 5.30pm GMT kick-off on Saturday, December 23, 2023.
The match will take place at Anfield.
Liverpool are on a high after smashing West Ham
AP
Where to watch Liverpool vs Arsenal
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event, with coverage beginning at 5pm.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Simon Collings at the ground.
Liverpool vs Arsenal team news
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will all return to the XI but Darwin Nunez faces a fight to keep his place up against Cody Gakpo, who scored versus West Ham.
Arteta could be unchanged or tinker with his team by introducing Leandro Trossard for some added pace and flair over Kai Havertz’s physicality and clinical finishing in midfield.
Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber are also still on the sidelines for the Gunners.
Liverpool vs Arsenal prediction
This one is very difficult to call.
Liverpool have been near-perfect at home this season but did show signs of vulnerability against Manchester United last weekend, when they were stifled by a workmanlike low block.
Arsenal boast the league’s joint-best defence on the road (along with United) and may not fly out the traps like Liverpool might want them to. The Gunners are seriously better than United on the break, too.
Expect this one to go down to the wire, where Arsenal’s uncanny knack for late goals could swing it.
It could be a thriller on Merseyside
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Head to head (h2h) history and results
The Gunners have not won a game in 90 minutes at Anfield since Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla provided the goals in a September 2012 visit. In the last seven overall meetings, they’ve also only won once.
Liverpool vs Arsenal match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
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