Arsenal - Andrea Berta
Arsenal will turn their attention to the Premier League on Sunday when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.
Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday gave Arsenal the chance to close the gap on the Premier League leaders, and the Gunners capitalised with a 2-0 win over Everton. Both sides now have 21 points, but City remain top of the table on goal difference.
However, the Gunners head into the weekend following a disappointing Carabao Cup exit on Tuesday. They drew 1-1 with League Two side Fleetwood Town before losing 5-3 on penalties, with Max Dowman sent off in the 86th minute.
Mikel Arteta defended his players’ performance after the match, saying: “I have nothing to fault the players for their attitude and intensity.”
The FA subsequently rejected Arsenal’s appeal against Dowman’s red card on Thursday, meaning the 16-year-old will miss Sunday’s trip to Anfield and the next two league fixtures against Hull City and Newcastle United.
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Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are also unavailable due to quadriceps and back problems respectively. Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Riccardo Calafiori missed the Fleetwood match through injury and are being assessed ahead of the weekend.
Christos Tzolis, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, has an outside chance of returning. Arteta is expected to provide an update on his squad during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are fourth in the table on 15 points and have won four consecutive matches in all competitions.
They defeated Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, although Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley are ruled out with Achilles and knee injuries respectively, while Dominik Szoboszlai is a doubt with a hamstring problem.
Arsenal face a difficult task at Anfield, where their last Premier League victory came on September 2, 2012.
The Gunners won 2-0 on that occasion, with Arteta featuring in the side, but they have since gone 13 away league matches without a win against Liverpool, recording five draws and eight defeats.
Arteta has endured a mixed record at Anfield as Arsenal manager, losing 3-1 in September 2020 and 4-0 in November 2021 before drawing 2-2 in April 2023 and 1-1 in December of the same year.
The Gunners also drew 2-2 in May 2025 before suffering a 1-0 defeat in August 2025. Arteta’s only victory at the ground came in the League Cup in October 2020, when Arsenal beat Liverpool 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw.
The two teams produced only one goal across their Premier League meetings last season. Liverpool won 1-0 at Anfield in August 2025 before the sides played out a goalless draw in January 2026.
Liverpool were also the only team to prevent Arsenal from scoring in the league during the 2025-26 campaign.
Despite that record, Opta’s supercomputer gives the Gunners a 41.4% chance of winning on Sunday, compared with Liverpool’s 33%.
Away from the upcoming fixture, Arsenal have also been linked with a potential move for Swedish youngster Oliver Mansson.
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According to Expressen, scouts from Manchester United, Roma, Freiburg, Watford and Leicester City attended IFK Goteborg’s 1-1 draw with Djurgarden on Wednesday to watch the 17-year-old midfielder.
Arsenal and Chelsea had previously been linked with Mansson, who has made 15 Allsvenskan appearances during his breakthrough season. The teenager is under contract with Goteborg until 2028.
Mansson told Expressen that he was unaware of the reported interest from the Premier League clubs, saying: “I had no idea. I saw it on social media like everyone else.”
Following Wednesday’s match, he added that he remained “focused on the present”. The midfielder has identified Barcelona as his dream club and cannot move to England until next summer.
Meanwhile, Swedish reports indicate that outgoing Goteborg football director Jesper Jansson has said the club have received no concrete contact regarding the youngster. However, he has also left the door open to a record-breaking sale.
Arsenal Emirates Stadium
Arsenal Emirates Stadium