Arsenal, Liverpool meet in top-of-the-table clash.
Arsenal vs. Liverpool kicks off at 20:00 [GMT] on Thursday, January 8, at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s home form provides an interesting counterbalance to their historical difficulties in this fixture. They have won their last seven home Premier League matches, a run only surpassed once under Mikel Arteta, when they won 10 in a row between April and December 2022. They have also shown a recent habit of rising to big occasions at home, winning their last two league matches against the reigning champions, both against Manchester City. The last time Arsenal managed three consecutive home league wins against reigning champions was in the early 1960s. One of the most striking patterns in this rivalry is Arsenal’s prolonged struggle to keep Liverpool out. The Gunners have conceded in each of their last 20 Premier League matches against the Reds, a run stretching back to a goalless draw in August 2015. In Arsenal’s league history, only against Manchester United and Tottenham have they endured longer streaks without a clean sheet. This underlines how consistently Liverpool has found a way through Arsenal’s defence across different eras and tactical approaches. Individual storylines add further intrigue. Bukayo Saka has scored in each of his last three home Premier League games against Liverpool, a feat no Arsenal player has previously extended to four in a row. His influence is also reflected in underlying numbers, ranking among the league’s most involved players in open-play attacking sequences this season. He will be hoping to make his mark once again when league-leading Gunners [WWWWW] host Liverpool. A 4—3—3 formation with Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres, and Noni Madueke in attack may be seen.
Liverpool are the joint side Arsenal have lost to most often in Premier League history, with 26 defeats, level with Manchester United. The Reds also have a strong record of completing league doubles over the Gunners, having done so seven times already – more than any other club in the competition. They now have the opportunity to achieve that feat for the first time since the 2021–22 season. This encounter also carries a scheduling novelty. It will be the first time Arsenal and Liverpool have met on a Thursday in the Premier League. Their last Thursday league meeting came as far back as December 1947 at Anfield, when Arsenal recorded a 3-1 victory. Liverpool will become just the second club Arsenal have faced on all seven days of the week in the Premier League, following Southampton. With the weekend 2-2 draw, putting an end to a two-game winless run comes as top priority for the Reds [WWWDD]. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Cody Gakpo in attack is expected.