The injuries are piling up for Arsenal, who face the prospect of dropping seven points behind league leaders Liverpool later in Sunday’s game at the Emirates Stadium. Up to seven senior first-team players will be absent for Mikel Arteta, a list that is sure to include club captain Martin Odegaard and defensive lynchpin William Saliba. If Bukayo Saka is added to that list, it will be a big challenge for the Gunners to add to their four-game unbeaten run in the Premier League against Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s team, for its part, seems to arrive in London in full swing. After a good run of games to start the season, Chelsea and RB Leipzig were handled in fine style in back-to-back games, meaning the Reds take the lead in the Champions League and Premier League. A win in the capital and they would appear to be the team to beat in the title race. This way you can attend to the adjustment and what you want to understand:
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- Was: Sunday, October 27 | Life: 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time
- Location: Emirates Stadium – London, England
- Resident wave: Peacock
- Odd: Arsenal +145; Draw +240; Liverpool +190
Crew information
Arsenal: Even Arteta admits he doesn’t know his lineup, but it’s fair to say there are a few positions up for grabs within the team that can fire into the Emirates outfield on Sunday. None of Jurrien Plank, Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori were pictured in visible training on Friday afternoon, but their coach has not given up hope. “We are going to do everything possible to have them available in some way, but it is very uncertain,” he said.
Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are absent, with the two missing finishes providing more of a headache at left back. Will Jakub Kiwior start there? Can Oleksandr Zinchenko stay on the defensive? What about Plank? Will he have enough compatibility to start or will Thomas Partey have to drop to the backline? All that and William Saliba is suspended. Headache on headache.
Arsenal’s imaginable eleven: stripe; Blanco, Plank, Gabriel, Kiwior; Partey, rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard, Martinelli
Liverpool: Such suspicion is incorrect for Slot. Alisson, Harvey Elliott or Diogo Jota will have to be denied, who will end up with a particular thorn in Arsenal’s side over the years. Conor Bradley and Federico Chiesa are rated 50:50, but neither of them would likely be a starter even if perfectly healthy. “No one knows who will be the biggest competitors in this early phase,” said Slot, “but Arsenal will be one of them, so winning points from them is important.”
Liverpool imaginable XI: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Díaz; Nunez
Prediction
This could be similar, but in any case, Liverpool will need to have the pace and organization to say all three against an improvised Arsenal. CHOOSE: Arsenal 1, Liverpool 3
