Liverpool have to beat Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday to be contenders for the Premier League title, Sky Sports columnist Paul Merson believes. The game kicks off at 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports.
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola's side are six points behind joint-leaders Arsenal and Manchester City. In his column, Merson writes: "Liverpool are starting to cook a little bit, but they have got to win this Sunday if they want to be in the Premier League title race."
A draw or a defeat would leave Liverpool six points behind at least, with a trip to the Emirates still to come. Merson also looks at what an Arsenal win would mean:
"If Arsenal go and win against Liverpool, that could nearly be it for the Premier League title."
Arsenal are unbeaten in six, and Liverpool are on a five-game winning run. Iraola's side are fourth in the table, a point behind Brighton. A home win on Sunday would put them three points behind the champions. They have also won all three of their Champions League games so far.
The Guardian says the most obvious issue is their lack of goals. Liverpool have scored 11 league goals in eight games, and eight teams have scored more. They have created six big chances, the second-worst tally in the division, while Manchester City have created 28. Alexander Isak has scored six goals in the league, trailing only Erling Haaland in the Premier League golden boot chase.
Liverpool conceded 53 league goals last season, their highest total since 1993-94. They lost 3-0 at home to Manchester City at the start of October, a game that was goalless until Ryan Gravenberch was shown a red card.
Iraola has beaten Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta three times in his last four meetings, all while in charge of Bournemouth. Arsenal last won a league game at Anfield in 2012, when Arteta was still playing for them.
Arteta gave an update on Bukayo Saka on Friday. Asked whether Saka could return before the international break, he said: "He looks like it; we need to wait and see how he evolves." Arteta said of Saka: "The player is desperate, he's feeling much better than he was a few days ago."
Merson's column says Arsenal's next 10 games run to a home game against Bournemouth on 13 December. He adds: "If Bukayo Saka is injured for this period, he's going to be missed."
Noni Madueke has played most of the minutes on the right wing in Saka's absence and could return to the squad. Arteta said Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Christos Tzolis all trained on Friday, and added: "They all trained today and they will train tomorrow. If everything is OK, they will be available."
No comments yet