Liverpool heads to Arsenal in the Premier League later this week, trailing the Gunners by 14 points in the standings, with its hopes of retaining the title long gone
10:21, 06 Jan 2026
Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta before Arsenal vs Liverpool in the Premier League.
Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta before Arsenal vs Liverpool in the Premier League.(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool beat Arsenal at Anfield earlier this season with Dominik Szoboszlai's superb free-kick settling the fixture in August, but few are predicting a similar result for Arne Slot's men this week.
With a 14-point gap between the sides having opened up following a dire run of results for Liverpool, Mikel Arteta's team is very much the favorite heading into this clash. The Gunners have a six-point cushion over Manchester City in second.
"Liverpool badly missed Hugo Ekitike in their draw against Fulham, and put in another lacklustre display," Chris Sutton told BBC Sport. "Arne Slot’s side are nine games unbeaten now, so their recent results have been alright on paper.
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"It’s their performances that are the problem, though. When you see them with your own eyes, they are miles off where they were when they won the title last season, and are nowhere near where Arsenal are at now either.
"When Liverpool beat them at Anfield in August, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was criticised for being too cautious, as he often is in big games like this.
"It has to be different this time. This Liverpool team has been leaking goals all season, so Gunners fans are not going to accept Arteta sitting back. I doubt Arteta will do it this time, because Arsenal are at home and Liverpool are there for the taking.
"In fact, there should be zero negativity in the way they are set up. Manchester City have dropped points twice in the past few days, so Arsenal are six points clear.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
"It’s just over six years since Arteta took charge, and this is not the time for him to be cautious. The Gunners should go for it, because they are on a different level to Liverpool, and they may as well be in a different league."
Liverpool has had a number of key men missing at various points in the season. Alexander Isak is out for the long term, while Mohamed Salah is currently at AFCON. Ekitike faces a race against time to return here.
"No one thinks Slot’s side are going to win the Premier League anymore, even though they are fourth, and they don’t look capable of flexing their muscles and going on a long winning run, either," Sutton continued.
"That is not going to happen. This is a bang-average Liverpool team this season, and Arsenal should be able to exploit all of their weaknesses.
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"It should be pretty comfortable for the league leaders too. They are carrying Viktor Gyokeres a bit, because he has just not fired for them up front, but it does not seem to matter, they are winning anyway.
"Declan Rice is just majestic in the middle of the park, he is just phenomenal, and they have got lots of different ways of scoring goals."
Liverpool.com says: Virgil van Dijk said earlier this week that his team would have to "fight" against Arsenal and that is very true. Set-pieces have been a worry this season and there is no one better at them.
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The game is a chance for Liverpool to put down a bit of a marker ahead of next season, in a way. A strong performance would help set the narrative of a comeback; a big Arsenal victory would make it look near-certain to win the title.