Table-toppers Arsenal welcome 3rd placed Liverpool to the Emirates in what is a battle of the Premier League’s two most in-form sides.
Liverpool have lost just once this season, a 1-0 defeat against Southampton, but are unbeaten since as they defeated Sunderland, Crystal Palace and West Brom with a 2-2 draw with Newcastle in-between.
The Gunners are unbeaten in 8 having won 7 of their games, with the opening day defeat to Aston Villa the only black mark on their record.
Arsenal also boast the League’s best goal difference having scored 20 goals and conceded just 9 in 9 games, with Liverpool scoring 17 and conceded just 8.
Liverpool are the year’s highest goalscorers, with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge forming the formidable “SAS” partnership which sees them sit 1st and 3rd in the race for the golden boot, Sturridge taking top spot with 8 and Suarez behind with 6 since his return from ban.
Yet Arsenal are not far behind when it comes to individuals banging in the goals, with Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud with 5 each.
Team News
Arsene Wenger will have Mikel Arteta available again after his questionable suspension after he was shown red at Crystal Palace.
Arteta was the last defender when he brought down the Palace striker, however with the Spaniard’s tackle coming just beyond the halfway line and close to the wing, questions were raised about whether it was a clearcut goalscoring opportunity.
However Arsenal did not appeal and Arteta served his ban in the week as we lost 2-0 to Chelsea.
Mathieu Flamini will be unavailable again after the groin injury he picked up in the first half of the Palace match, as is the man who replaced him in that game; Serge Gnabry. The German has an ankle injury so will play no part.
As centre-halves Koscielny and Mertesacker prepare to face the SAS strikeforce, Flamini’s midfield shielding will not doubt be a huge miss with Mikel Arteta likely to deputise.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains sidelined along with recovering men Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo, Abou Diaby and Theo Walcott, however the young England man who has been nominated for the Golden Boy award is said to be in good spirits, Tweeting:
“Back to business this morning though, good day of rehab ahead.... Work hard and get back playing is my motto at the moment!”
Liverpool will welcome back young sensation Philippe Coutinho however will be without experienced left-back Jose Enrique.
£40m + £2?....
This weekend sees Luis Suarez appear at the Emirates, just a few months after it looked likely that he would be making it his home turf in the summer transfer window.
The Uruguayan was said to be close to joining Arsenal on a number of occasions, with Arsenal even looking to activate his release clause with a ridiculous £40,000,001 bid for him. However, Suarez opted to stay with Liverpool and has since returned from his bizarre 10 game ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic to score a hat-full of goals.
However despite the saga taking the headlines for a number of weeks, Arsene Wenger insists that the transfer is dead and that he only has eyes for his players at the moment:
"The player has been punished for what he did," Wenger said.
"We have high moral grounds. We take information about the moral level of the player and when there is any moral restriction we do not buy the player."
“Suarez is doing very well, but what is important for me is the players that play for Arsenal, not those who could play for Arsenal.
"What is very important tomorrow is the players who play against Luis Suarez."
"I think our target is to have the ball and master the situation because we are dominating and we have more of the ball than our opponents - and if we have the ball a lot we do not need to worry too much about our opponents and that will be the target tomorrow."
And even Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted that the embargo was a ridiculous rumour:
“I understand why Arsenal would want to buy a player of Luis’s quality because he is one of the leading strikers in the world but it was something that was never going to happen,”
“For us and the institution we are we certainly weren’t going to sell to a rival, a competitor, and that was something which was very strong from the off.
But Wenger concluded:
"We are in a strong position in the Premier League, that is why our mood is positive."
Wenger added: "We want to be and I think we are title contenders, and Liverpool as well.
"You have four other teams certainly, or five, who will be title contenders this year.
"The mood is very strong, very united and very focused. We know where the priorities are, it is in the Premier League and the Champions League,"
Expected Line-up
Szczesny; Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Gibbs; Arteta Wilshere; Cazorla Ramsey Ozil; Giroud.
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