ARSENAL face another brutal test at home – but victory would be a major step back towards the Champions League.
The Gunners saw off a dispirited Tottenham side in a statement North London derby victory last weekend.
Things don’t get much easier this afternoon as Liverpool head to the Emirates looking for a much-needed first three points on the road to really kickstart their season.
And they will head to the capital feeling pretty confident with their record against high-flying Arsenal.
Klopp has won ten and drawn seven of his 18 meetings with Arsenal since replacing Brendan Rodgers in 2015.
And the only defeat came in an empty Emirates in July 2020 after the Reds had already secured their first Premier League title and were in party mode.
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Aside from that, Liverpool have taken home all three points in three of Klopp’s other five league trips – including in the last two seasons.
But putting recent clashes aside, the reality is while Liverpool have only lost one league match in 2022 – the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford – they are performing well below their top level across the pitch.
Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk have, in particular, been alarmingly off the pace by their lofty standards this term.
Compared to their opposite numbers Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, it is the Arsenal pair who look like the experienced Premier League and Champions League winners.
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As for the striker situation, it is chalk and cheese.
Both clubs spent big on a new No9 this summer – and so far there is only one winner.
Gabriel Jesus has five goals in eight games, is already a huge character in the team and is adored by Gooners – and will only cement that status if he adds to his four goals for Manchester City against Liverpool.
As for Darwin Nunez, his biggest contribution was thumping his forehead into Joachim Andersen with just one solitary goal to his name on his debut at Fulham two months ago.
But despite the Uruguayan’s struggles, this mouth-watering tie is surely going to be a goal-fest – especially because both sides struggle to keep clean sheets but have managed to score 38 goals between them this term.
Liverpool have scored in each of their last 13 league meetings against Arsenal, averaging THREE per game.
Diogo Jota boasts a staggering five in four for the Merseysiders against Arsenal with an overall record of a goal every 67 minutes.
The Gunners have not kept a clean sheet in nine Prem matches at the Emirates, winning seven on the bounce, while Liverpool have conceded first in nine of their last 11 games – but lost just that one against United.
A Liverpool win would drag them right back into Champions League contention – after going into the weekend below Fulham and level on points with Brentford and Everton.
But should Arsenal take all three points, and oh how Mikel Arteta would love to get one over Klopp, they would go back top of the Premier League after a quarter of the season.
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Like Sunday’s opponents, their only loss this season came at Old Trafford, so a win would keep Manchester City at bay… for now.
More importantly, though, it would extend the gap to the mid-table Reds to a whopping 14 points, a hugely significant advantage so early in the season in the race for the top four.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
