On what will be a cold Thursday night in north London, the on-field action is sure to be red-hot as we face Liverpool (8pm), looking to take another step towards seeing our name engraved under theirs on the Premier League trophy come May.
Our challengers have plenty of momentum after a seven-game unbeaten run, but in another test of our title-winning credentials we will face the reigning champions, who themselves haven’t lost since November after enduring their worst run of form since the 1950s.
The Anfield side haven’t enjoyed their visits to our corner of north London down the years, winning just four of their last 25 league visits to N5, and with our home packed with Gooners at full voice, Mikel Arteta will want to see us at our best against an old foe as the race for the title begins to heat up.
Champions' challenges
Having led throughout the whole of last season to claim a 20th league title, things seemed to be following a similar pattern for Arne Slot’s side when they won their opening five games, but then they lost nine of their next 12 across all competitions to leave their hopes of retaining the championship in tatters, as they sit 14 points behind us.
Since November, though, they have remained unbeaten in the Premier League and have slowly begun to string some form together. Three successive wins against Brighton, Tottenham and Wolves either side of Christmas helped them climb back into the Champions League spots, but the turn of the year has brought draws at home to Leeds United and Fulham on Sunday, when they took the lead in the 94th minute but still dropped points.
Their FA Cup campaign begins at home to Barnsley on Monday, and later this month they’ll aim to secure a spot in the top eight of the Champions League. Currently ninth, they've achieved four wins from six so far, beating our next opponents Inter Milan 1-0 at the San Siro last month, as Slot eyes some silverware to follow up last season’s exploits.
What the managers say
Arteta: "Every week we have a point to prove. We had it a few days ago against Bournemouth after a great win against Villa and it's going to continue like that until May. We know that because once we are in the position that we are in, we want to maintain and extend the lead that we have, and in order to do that our level of determination and desire has to be with that mindset.
"We’re going to have our crowd, our supporters, very early. Before eight o’clock, everybody is there, creating an amazing atmosphere. It makes such a difference, we become a different team. The level of energy, commitment, confidence and desire that we can show in every action is transmitted by them, and we need them tomorrow and every game." - every word of Mikel's pre-match press conference
Read more Every word of Mikel Arteta's pre-Liverpool presser
Slot: "If you win these games, that tells you that you can compete in the latter stages of the FA Cup and the Champions League or with any other team. I think we've shown already that we can do this because we've beaten, for example, Arsenal at home and I can come up with many other games that we've won against very strong teams.
"But we also know that it's going to be a special game for them as well. We have to be completely ready because they are in a very positive vibe at the moment, and it's obvious that we aren't, especially because we've conceded a late goal [against Fulham] again."
Team news
Arteta confirmed that Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera will remain unavailable for selection due to their respective injuries, but hopes to be able to call upon the duo again in the coming weeks.
Kai Havertz could be back in the matchday squad after missing out against Bournemouth as his return is carefully managed, but Max Dowman is still sidelined with a hamstring problem.
Slot’s striking options have been severely depleted in recent weeks. Mohamed Salah is at the Africa Cup of Nations, while British record signing Alexander Isak is out for a few months with an ankle issue and leg fracture. The impressive Hugo Ekitike was unavailable for the Fulham game with a sore hamstring, but it is hoped he will return for this one.
Elsewhere, Endo Wataru has an ankle problem and is out for a few weeks, while Italian defender Giovanni Leoni has been missing for the whole season with a torn ACL.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: The champions have deployed a 4-2-3-1 for most of this season. Slot tends to use the width of the pitch to good effect, deploying a pair of fast attacking full-backs who are both encouraged to support wingers who prefer to cut inside onto their stronger foot.
In essence, Liverpool’s head coach wants to control matches through possession, averaging a league-high 61.6%, but they are also a team that threatens on the counter, manufacturing an impressive 24 shots from counters, including three goals. When they score first, they are extremely difficult to beat, winning 10 times, drawing once and losing none after going 1-0 ahead.
Defensively, they remain a strong pressing outfit who want to steal the ball in advanced areas, and have already scored six goals from high turnovers. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool commit to that high press in this fixture, or if they deploy a more conservative mid-pitch block instead, such as in our meeting last August.
Set-pieces at both ends of the pitch have been a problem area. In attack, they have scored just three times from dead-ball situations – a joint division low – while inside their own box, the champions have conceded 12 times from set-plays - no one has leaked more.
Facts and stats
We have won our last seven home Premier League matches; only once under Mikel Arteta have we had a longer home league winning run - 10 between April and December 2022.
Liverpool ended their six-game winless run against us in August, and could complete a league double over us for the first time since 2021/22.
We have conceded in each of our last 20 Premier League games against the Reds since a 0-0 draw in August 2015. Only against Manchester United (30 between 1953 and 1968) and Tottenham (24 between 1955 and 1967) have we had a longer run without a clean sheet in our league history.
Only Burnley’s Premier League matches this season have seen more goals in the 90th minute or later (10) than Liverpool’s (9 – 5 for, 4 against).
Read more 199 goals! The mad stats from Arsenal v Liverpool
We have won our last two home matches against the reigning champions, beating Man City in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. We last did so in three consecutive league seasons between 1961/62 and 1963/64, when we beat Tottenham, Ipswich and Everton.
Bukayo Saka has scored in each of his last three Premier League home games against Liverpool - no Gunner has ever scored in four consecutive home league games against the Reds.
Gabriel Martinelli has been directly involved in six goals (4 goals, 2 assists) in his last seven Premier League games against Liverpool. Against no other opponent does he have more goals and assists in the competition (also 6 v Crystal Palace).
Match officials
Having overseen both of our 2-2 draws against Liverpool last season as well as the previous encounter at Emirates Stadium in 2023/24, Anthony Taylor is handed a fourth league fixture in five between the sides. He sent off Mikel Merino for two bookable offences at Anfield back in May, but since then he has refereed our away win at Fulham, as well as our 1-1 draw at Chelsea when he booked six Gunners.
It’ll be his fourth Liverpool game this term, which previously yielded a win, a draw and a loss for the Reds. The last time was a 3-3 thriller with Leeds United last month when Taylor awarded the Whites a penalty.
Referee: Anthony TaylorAssistants: Gary Beswick, Adam NunnFourth official: Simon HooperVAR: John BrooksAssistant VAR: Dan Robathan
Previous visits from the Reds
Last season saw us pegged back twice as the visitors salvaged a 2-2 draw in N5 in October 2024. Bukayo Saka gave us the lead with a stylish finish before Virgil van Dijk levelled, however Merino’s first Gunners goal put us back ahead, only for Salah to net nine minutes from time.
Our last victory in this fixture came the previous February when Saka once again gave us an early advantage but a Gabriel own goal on the brink of half-time saw us go into the break level. We got the job done in the second half though courtesy of goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
A few weeks earlier, the Merseysiders knocked us out of the FA Cup at the third round stage when a late Jakub Kiwior own goal was followed by a Luis Diaz strike, but in October 2022 we won a classic encounter 3-2 thanks to a first-minute Martinelli goal and a Saka brace.
Read more Remember these famous home wins against Liverpool?
Live coverage
Another big game in north London can only mean another jam-packed Live From N5! Join Nicole Holliday and Jeremie Aliadiere from an hour before kick-off on Arsenal.com and the official app for all the best build-up.
Club legend Nigel Winterburn is with us to give his thoughts on the game, while musicians Wretch 32 and Knucks will also drop by, while Frimmy takes you behind the scenes at player arrivals.
A new Hero of the Week will be crowned, more inductees into the Live from N5 Hall of Fame will be added, and our supporters will be tested with another round of Arsenal Mastermind and Time Capsule. Then when the action gets underway, live commentary comes from Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke - so make sure you tune in!
You can also find out which broadcaster is showing the action live, wherever you are in the world.
Read more How to watch Arsenal v Liverpool live on TV
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