Arsenal can "really hurt" Liverpool in one area of the pitch during Sunday's blockbuster Premier League showdown at Anfield, Gunners expert Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.
Last season's top two collide early doors in the 2025-26 campaign, and both the Reds and the Gunners are putting their perfect records on the line in gameweek three, but Mikel Arteta's men lead Arne Slot's side courtesy of a superior goal difference.
Liverpool have outscored the Gunners by seven goals to six, but Arsenal are yet to concede in the top flight, whereas a defensively suspect Liverpool have been breached four times over the course of their two clashes with Bournemouth and Newcastle United.
With Jeremie Frimpong sidelined, Conor Bradley lacking match fitness and Milos Kerkez struggling to settle, Watts has identified the flanks as an area where Arsenal can do some serious damage, and the Gunners will be full of belief that they can win at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time since 2012.
“If you offered me a draw right now I'd take it, absolutely. But they'll back themselves to go there and win," Watts said. "They're not going to play for a draw. Liverpool have looked suspect defensively so far; they got away with one massively [against Newcastle United]. But I suppose champions find a way to win.
“But Arsenal will look at where they can hurt Liverpool; you can definitely hurt them down the flanks. There will be space to exploit. It is a shame that Saka is not going to be playing, but what an opportunity for Madueke on his favoured right-hand side.
Arsenal can "really hurt" Liverpool out wide despite Saka absence
Arsenal's Noni Madueke pictured on August 6, 2025
“It’s going to be a really, really tough game in a ground where Arsenal toil and have just had some nightmare, nightmare days. But they have avoided defeat there the last few times. They haven't got the win, but they've avoided defeat. And the record against the Big Six is so good over the last few years.
“They will be confident. They're going to have to endure some difficult moments, of course. You don't go to Anfield and have an easy 90 minutes. But they can rely on that defensive stability and then take their chances when they go forward, that’s what I'd really like to see.
“Go to Anfield and play on the front foot. Cause Liverpool problems. Don't just invite them on. If you do that, I think they've got enough to win this game. It's out in the channels where they can really hurt Liverpool.”
While Liverpool might be facing a quandary at right-back, Arsenal head to Merseyside already in the midst of a mini injury crisis, having lost influential attackers Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz for at least the next few weeks due to a hamstring injury and knee surgery respectively.
Furthermore, Martin Odegaard had not trained before Friday as a result of the shoulder injury he sustained against Leeds United in last weekend's 5-0 win, while ACL victim Gabriel Jesus is still out and Ben White, Christian Norgaard and Leandro Trossard are all doubts.
However, Arsenal have a ready-made replacement for Saka in Noni Madueke, and Arteta will also be expected to hand a debut to £67.5m signing Eberechi Eze, who could occupy the left-hand side or fill in for Odegaard in the number 10 position.
Eze out wide or in the middle in Liverpool vs. Arsenal?
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze pictured on August 23, 2025
Given Gabriel Martinelli's strong record against Liverpool, whom the Brazilian has scored six goals and provided two assists against from 12 previous appearances, Watts can envisage Eze playing the Odegaard role on his Arsenal debut.
“He's absolutely fit and ready," Watts said of Eze. "You don't need to bed him in. The issue is he might have to play centrally because of what's going on with Odegaard. There is that option of playing Eze centrally and then Martinelli and Trossard on the left.
“It's really tough to definitively think where he could play. But I would have no worries about Eze going straight into this team. He's such a clever footballer, played with so many of them with England anyway, I think he'd be absolutely fine, whether it be on the left or more central.
“I wonder if he might play centrally. Martinelli's got a brilliant record against Liverpool; he tends to score against them. So I think Arteta will probably favour him over Leandro Trossard for that game if it is a choice between one of those two on the left-hand side.
“There’s so many different combinations. Doing a predicted eleven for this one is going to be very, very difficult.”
Arsenal have not won at Anfield in the Premier League since 2012, when Arteta was among the starters for the Gunners, but they did take down the Reds away from home in the 2020-21 EFL Cup on penalties behind closed doors.
> Click here to listen to the full preview of Arsenal's clash with Liverpool
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