Arsenal v Liverpool – Line-ups, stats and preview

The defending champions face an uphill battle on Thursday night, as Arsenal to welcome Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium for a crucial event Premier League showdown.

The Reds come on a longer unbeaten run than the hosts, but a defeat in north London would leave Mikel Arteta’s side 17 points clear with 17 games remaining.

Arsenal started the new year on a high, capitalizing on points lost elsewhere in Gameweek 20 despite a nightmarish start at Bournemouth, where Gabriel’s early error was punished by Evanilson.

The centre-back atoned with a crucial equalizer before Declan Rice struck twice to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory, his first Premier League goal after 296 appearances.

Arsenal’s joy grew further later in the evening when Chelsea’s late equalizer against Manchester City further cemented their position at the top.

Back-to-back draws for City mean they and Aston Villa are six points behind the Gunners, although that gap could be reduced on Wednesday evening.

The Emirates Stadium has been a fortress this season, with Arsenal having won 14 of their 15 matches there in all competitions, including a current winning streak of 12 matches.

A victory here would also see the Gunners beat the reigning champions at home for the first time in three consecutive Premier League seasons.

Liverpool arrive in north London having surrendered late leads in back-to-back draws against Leeds and Fulham, the latter seeing Harrison Reed’s superb injury-time strike cancel out what appeared to be a decisive Cody Gakpo goal.

The results halted the momentum generated by a run of four victories, although Arne Slot’s side remain fourth in the table and are now nine matches unbeaten in all competitions.

Team news for Arsenal vs Liverpool

Arsenal are almost at full strength, with Arteta only facing a small number of absentees. Max Dowman and Cristhian Mosquera are ruled out with ankle injuries, while Riccardo Calafiori remains doubtful due to an unspecified problem.

Kai Havertz was left out against Bournemouth for load management purposes, and the German was able to be rested again given Arsenal’s depth in the attacking areas. Bukayo Saka is set to return to the starting line-up and is aiming to become the first Arsenal player to score in four consecutive home league matches against Liverpool.

Leandro Trossard is also in line for a recall after starting on the bench last weekend, while Declan Rice is expected to continue in midfield after his match-winning brace.