Liverpool vs Arsenal: Premier League match preview

A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at Anfield

Sunveer Sandhu
Saturday 20 December 2014 15:19 GMT
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Steven Gerrard pictured during Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford
Steven Gerrard pictured during Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford

Liverpool welcome Arsenal to Anfield on Sunday with both teams under pressure to deliver some Christmas cheer for their fans after miserable starts to the season.

Both teams were expecting to challenge for the Premier League title this season – but as Liverpool lie in 11th place, and Arsenal in sixth – their championship aspirations look already to be over.

Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Mesut Özil are ruled out through injury whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott will have late fitness tests to assess their fitness.

Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli will also miss Sunday’s fixture as he serves a one-match ban for posting a controversial image on his Instagram account.

KICK-OFF: Sunday, 4pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS…

Arsenal 2 (Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski) Liverpool 1 (Gerrard), FA Cup, February 2014

Liverpool 5 (Skrtel 2, Sterling 2, Sturridge) Arsenal 1 (Arteta), Premier League, February 2014

Arsenal 2 (Cazorla, Ramsey) Liverpool 0, Premier League, November 2013

STATS…

This fixture has seen the most hat-tricks in Premier League history – Robbie Fowler x2, Peter Crouch, Andrey Arshavin and Thierry Henry were the scorers.

There have been two or more goals in this fixture in the last 23 meetings.

Arsenal have scored in all but one Premier League match this season.

Liverpool are 12 points worse off than they were at the same stage last season.

Liverpool have won just two of the last 14 Premier League meetings against Arsenal.

ODDS…

Liverpool to win: 2.88

Arsenal to win: 2.64

Draw: 3.65

CLASSIC MATCH...

Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4, April 2009 - A stunning four-goal haul by Andrey Arshavin delivered a killer blow to Liverpool’s title ambitions in a thriller at Anfield in 2009. The result saw Liverpool top the Premier League on goal difference with eventual-winners Manchester United, who had two games in hand with a total of seven to play before the end of the season. Yossi Benayoun and Fernando Torres scored two goals each to salvage a point for the Reds, but they ultimately fell short of United at the end of the season by four points.

TV: Live on Sky Sports 1 at 4pm, highlights on BBC2 at 10.25pm

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