Arsenal vs Liverpool: Golden opportunity for Reds to narrow gap

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Arsenal, Liverpool, English Premier League

Liverpool could narrow the gap on Manchester City to just one point if they can beat Arsenal in an away clash on Wednesday, March 16th.

Preview: Arsenal vs Liverpool

A top four clash is on the cards as Arsenal prepare to welcome Liverpool. The Reds come into this match having eased to a 2-0 win over Brighton and now have a great chance to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City to just one point. That victory takes it to eight consecutive wins in this competition, which is the best record out of any of the teams featuring in the top flight.

Meanwhile, Gunners fans will certainly be encouraged by their team's progress, as it wasn't too long ago that Mikel Arteta's side were actually closer to the relegation zone than anywhere near securing Champions League football for next season. However, they've seemingly put that bad spell behind them, as they have picked up five wins out of five from their last five league games, including a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Leicester City last time out.

Although they're just a point ahead of Manchester United, Arsenal do have three games in hand as opposed to the Red Devils, so it's safe to say they'll be looking to further solidify their grip on fourth spot. Yet, despite their uptick in form, Arsenal have a lousy record against Liverpool. In fact, they've won just one of their last 18 meetings with the Reds across all comps, while losing on nine of those occasions.

In addition, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah reportedly returned to training recently, which does bode well for the visiting side - and perhaps not so much for the hosts. That's despite the Egyptian star suffering an injury during Liverpool's 2-0 win over Brighton, and all eyes will be on him to see if he can feature in some capacity.

Arsenal will naturally be desperate for revenge, having suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss in the reverse fixture earlier this season, but they will be taking on a side who've been absolutely outstanding on all fronts this season. Moreover, Arsenal haven't scored a goal against Liverpool in any of their last five meetings across all comps and will be welcoming a team who will be hoping to make history by beating the Gunners in a third consecutive away meetings (across all comps).

Team news: Arsenal vs Liverpool

Arsenal: The hosts only will be missing Takehiro Tomiyasu, as the Japanese international is still continuing his recovery from a calf injury. However, Emile Smith Rowe is back with the squad after recovering from COVID-19.

Liverpool: James Milner and Kostas Tsimikas are likely to miss this game due to illness, but Ibrahima Konate is back with the squad after missing the past couple of games. The biggest concern for Klopp is the fitness of Mohamed Salah, who trained with the squad after sustaining an injury at the weekend - but will need to be closely monitored to see if he can feature against Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

Match facts: Arsenal vs Liverpool

Arsenal have won just one of their last 18 meetings with Liverpool in all competitions (D8 L9)
The Gunners are hoping to win six consecutive Premier League games for the first time since 2018
Liverpool have won their last eight Premier League games, scoring 21 times and conceding just twice
The Reds have won nine of their last 14 away league fixtures (D3 L2)...
...however, four of those negative results were against London-based clubs
Liverpool have won their last two away meetings with Arsenal (across all comps)...
...should they win on Wednesday, it'll be the first time in club history they've won three in a row
Arsenal have failed to score in their last five meetings with Liverpool across all comps (since September 2020)