With Arsenal taking on Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium, it’s time to see who would get into a combined eleven.
Only one point separates the two sides in the Premier League table, but my combined eleven swings more in Arsenal’s favour.
While acknowledging that the two sides play very different styles of football, there are notable weaknesses in both squads.
I would much prefer Arsenal’s keeper and defence to theirs.
Petr Cech might not be a top class keeper anymore, but he’s still more reliable than either Simon Mignolet or Loris Karius.
And while our defence can be unconvincing, we have much more individual talent than Liverpool do.
Laurent Koscielny on one leg is better than Dejan Lovren, and a 20-year-old Maitland-Niles is less error prone than Alberto Moreno.
The midfield is tricky. Usually, I’d opt for balance, but the options this time aren’t stellar.
There’s no way I could pick Jordan Henderson, Granit Xhaka, Emre Can, or Georginio Wijnaldum over Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Philippe Coutinho.
The attack picks itself. Liverpool are blessed with excellent forwards in Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, both of whom are outperforming Alexis Sanchez this season.
Up front, I’ve gone for Alexandre Lacazette. Roberto Firmino suits the Liverpool style, but as a centre forward, I believe the Frenchman offers more goal threat.
So, my combined Arsenal-Liverpool eleven is:
Cech – Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal – Ramsey, Ozil – Salah, Coutinho, Mane – Lacazette