Anfield plays host to one of the biggest Premier League games of the season so far as Liverpool take on Arsenal in a massive clash this afternoon. The reigning top-flight champions head to Merseyside reeling from their Carabao Cup embarrassment at the hands of fourth-tier Fleetwood, eager to quickly reassert some authority and move back to the top of the table after leaders Manchester City lost again yesterday.
But to do so they will need to end their hoodoo at this famous old ground, where they have remarkably not won in the league since 2012. Arsenal are likely to face a stern test from an in-form Liverpool team who sit fifth and will be harbouring title ambitions of their own under Andoni Iraola after winning their last five matches across all competitions, including holding their nerve in a penalty shootout against Chelsea in midweek.
19-year-old Trey Nyoni makes his first Premier League start for the Reds in midfield, while Mikel Arteta has Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Noni Madueke all fit and available as Christos Tzolis also comes straight back in after injury. Follow Liverpool vs Arsenal live below!
Gabriel unhappy after early Isak clash
Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal
3 mins: Raya gathers gratefully as Gakpo looks to flick a clever ball over the top for the run of Wirtz.
Nyoni flies into Odegaard early on
Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal
1 min: Nyoni is straight into the thick of the action as he flies into an iffy challenge on Odegaard.
A few minutes later and that could easily have been a booking for the 19-year-old on his first Premier League start.
Andoni Iraola explains decision to start Trey Nyoni
Andoni Iraola has explained his surprise decision to hand 19-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni a high-profile first Premier League start for Liverpool against Arsenal this afternoon.
“The thinking is that he is playing very well, we trust him. He has good control on the ball, he understands the game well, without the ball he is smart to deal with all the complications.
“He is really good on those things. We have to consider we have very good subs for the second half.
Arsenal desperate to banish Anfield hoodoo
Standard Sport’s Matt Verri at Anfield
Anfield is one of the few grounds that Arteta and his players have left to conquer.
They have become far more competitive in these matches in recent seasons, having had several years of losing heavily to Jurgen Klopp sides, but taking that next step and all three points is what Arteta will be desperate to do.
Arsenal still do not know how much time Bukayo Saka is set to miss through injury, though reports have said that it could be up to eight weeks.
Saka limped out of the heavyweight Champions League draw with Bayern Munich last month due to a quad injury and the amount of fluid in the area means that follow-up scans to determine the exact severity of the problem were delayed.
“He needed another scan to see how the amount of fluid that was there was resolving, whether the tendon is touched and how badly it is touched,” Mikel Arteta said of Saka on Friday.
Asked if he thought Saka would miss England’s Nations League games against Croatia and Spain later this month, Arteta replied: “Again, I don't know.
Arsenal avoid right-wing crisis
The fitness of Noni Madueke will come as a big relief for Mikel Arteta, who was otherwise facing a bit of a selection crisis on the right wing at Anfield with Bukayo Saka sidelined and Max Dowman suspended.
Christos Tzolis coming straight back in on the opposite flank after a month out injured is also hardly a vote of confidence in Eberechi Eze.
Here’s more from Standard Sport’s Matt Verri at Anfield...