Without a doubt, the headliner fixture of the Premier League weekend is Liverpool hosting Arsenal on Saturday. A Boxing Day win over Newcastle United, coupled with another shocking Manchester City loss saw Liverpool widen their lead at the top of the table.
Meanwhile Arsenal dropped points again and currently find themselves on the outside looking in with respect to the top four race. Let’s take a look at the fitness situation for both teams, starting with the hosts, who are overall, pretty fit.
Defenders Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, along with midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, remain long-term injury absentees while the Reds could also be without James Milner. The midfielder missed the Wednesday affair due to an unspecified muscle injury.
As for the visitors, their situation is quite different, with nothing short of an injury crisis at the back. Two defenders, Nacho Monreal and Shkodran Mustafi, are doubts for this one due to thigh issues while three more members of the back line position group are ruled out entirely.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery will not be able to call upon Hector Bellerin (calf), Rob Holding (knee) and Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin) for the fixture at the Merseyside club.
Meanwhile up in attack you have three long-term injury absentees- Henrikh Mkhitaryan (broken metatarsal), Emile Smith Rowe (groin) and Danny Welbeck (ankle). Mkhitaryan, the Armenian national team captain and former Manchester United man, could be out for up to six weeks.
Arsenal FC at Liverpool FC FYIs
Kick-off: 5:30 pm (BST), 12:30 pm (EST) Saturday December 29, Anfield Stadium
Google Result Probability: Liverpool win- 65%, Draw 20%, Arsenal win- 15%
Odds via Bet Fair: Liverpool win 1/2, draw 15/4, Arsenal 6/1
Starting XI predictions for both teams: go to this link
Prediction: Liverpool 4, Arsenal 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.