Arsenal travel to league leaders Liverpool on Saturday, with the ominous task of trying to bounce back from a draw against Brighton by getting a result against the most in-form team in the country.
Clearly, Unai Emery will want to go full strength at Anfield, as anything less will make it pretty much impossible to get a result. There are still a number of injuries for him to deal with though, with multiple formations possible depending on who is available, so it’s not entirely straightforward.
Let’s have a look at our predicted lineup for the clash (that was written before it was announced that Mesut Ozil would be staying at home with a ‘knee’ injury):
3. Forwards
It’s pretty difficult to make an argument for leaving out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette on Saturday. The former is the league’s top scorer, with three goals in his last two games. He opened his tally against the big six earlier this month with a brace against Spurs, and he’ll be looking to keep building on that now.
The latter scored the winner in that game against Spurs, as well as forcing an ‘own goal’ against Manchester United and equalising against Liverpool in the reverse of this fixture. He also assisted Aubameyang’s last two goals.
To complete the front three, Mesut Özil should start. Whatever Unai Emery was trying by taking him off for the second half against Brighton, it backfired completely. Arsenal managed one blocked shot in the entire 45 minutes, after six shots and four on target with the German on the pitch.
Özil needs to come back in and start as he did against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Click ‘Next’ for the full Predicted Starting XI
Arsenal vs Liverpool Betting Tips
Arsenal and Liverpool have both scored at least one goal in nine of the last 11 matches between the two sides. Bet on both teams to score with 138.co.uk at 6/10.
There have been at least four goals in Anfield clashes between Arsenal and Liverpool on each of the last five occasions. Bet on over 3.5 goals with 138.co.uk at 6/5.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the Premier League’s top scorer, with three goals in his last two games. His last goal against Liverpool came in the first 10 minutes of the match, and he opened the scoring against both Burnley and Brighton. Bet on Aubameyang to score first with 138.co.uk at 11/2.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal (15/2 with 138.co.uk).