How will Mikel Arteta line-up his injury-ravaged side, who will deal with Mo Salah and which defence will come out on top? – Things to look out for in Gunners’ showdown with Liverpool
There’s no doubt about which Premier League game is the biggest of the weekend as leaders Liverpool travel to the Emirates to face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on Sunday.
Both sides enjoyed an impressive start to the season to put themselves in the race for the title alongside Man City.
However, Arsenal endured a major setback with a 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth, leaving them four points behind Arne Slot’s side, who are top of the table.
With just four points separating the hosts from their weekend visitors, Arteta’s men already find themselves needing to win at all costs to keep pace with the league leaders.
Here, Mail Sport looks at five major talking points ahead of the huge game.
Mikel Arteta’s (left) Arsenal meet Arne Slot’s Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon
Liverpool are top of the table going into the clash after a stunning start under Arne Slot
The Gunners need to wrestle back league momentum after a surprise defeat at Bournemouth
Arsenal’s title hopes already on a knife-edge
We may be only eight games into the season but there is a real feeling among many that Arsenal’s title hopes are hanging in the balance this Sunday.
The Gunners have learned the hard way the last two seasons that you simply just cannot afford too many slip-ups when competing with the likes of Man City.
A defeat to Liverpool would leave Mikel Arteta’s men seven points adrift of the top with tough trips to Newcastle and Chelsea next up.
The positive atmosphere has started to dissipate at the Emirates with Arsenal yet to put in a truly convincing 90 minute display in the top flight this term.
City are looking as relentless as ever and a win for Liverpool could have the table looking like a two-horse race.
Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth last weekend has put them under added pressure
Liverpool have taken Arsenal’s defensive crown
Arsenal have been lauded for their defence in recent times with the Gunners boasting the best defensive record in the league last season.
The north London club continued in that manner at the start of this campaign but have started to leak goals more frequently in recent weeks.
And it is the Reds who have taken up the mantle of the league’s most impregnable defence.
Slot’s team have conceded just three goals in eight Premier League matches, half as many as any other side.
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are at the heart of Liverpool’s rock solid defence
That total is three times lower than it was at the same stage of last season they have by far the best record in terms of expected goals against.
A big factor in that has been the return to full fitness of Ibrahima Konate, who has started every game alongside Virgil van Dijk since the opening day clash with Ipswich, where he came on at half-time to replace Jarrell Quansah.
Konate only started 17 Premier League games in each of the last two seasons and never started more than four consecutive games in Jurgen Klopp’s final campaign.
They may not have quite the same attacking flair as Klopp’s side but Slot’s focus on foundations at the back has certainly made them a tougher nut to crack.
Slot’s first real away test
Arne Slot could not have hoped for a better start at Anfield but few could argue that he wasn’t handed a favourable run of games to get started with.
Liverpool did not have to play any member of last season’s top seven in their opening seven matches yet did pass a real test in the form of Chelsea at home last weekend.
The fact remains that the Reds are yet to play a single member of the current top 10 away from home and they now visit a ground many deem to be a fortress.
It’s in big away games where the title credentials of a side really shine through and this is a chance for Slot’s side to silence any lingering doubters.
Arne Slot has started brilliantly but is yet to face a big test away from home in the league
How will Arteta combat the injury crisis?
The biggest question ahead of Sunday is how will Arsenal line-up amid the injury crisis the club find themselves in.
The Gunners, also without the suspended William Saliba, could be missing as many as seven stars on Sunday.
Captain Martin Odegaard has been on the sidelines for six weeks due to an ankle injury and is unlikely to feature while there is some hope that Bukayo Saka could return from a minor hamstring issue picked up in the international break.
Arsenal fans are desperate to see Ethan Nwaneri fill in for Odegaard but it’s unlikely Arteta will throw him in at the deep end.
Leandro Trossard is more likely to start there while Gabriel Jesus could deputise for Saka after looking sharp against Shakhtar Donetsk.
It’s in defence where the main problem lies with Gabriel the only member of this season’s starting back four both available and fully fit.
Mikel Arteta’s line-up is the subject of massive speculation after a series of injuries
Riccardo Calafiori is out after picking up a knock on Tuesday night while Jurrien Timber has missed the last three games with a muscular issue.
There is hope that Timber could play but if he can’t there is a problem to solve at right-back.
Ben White looks likely to partner Gabriel at centre-back, meaning Arteta may be forced to play Thomas Partey at right-back again with Mikel Merino taking his place in midfield.
And the loss of Calafiori makes things no easier at left-back, which we’ll cover in our next point.
Who will be tasked to deal with Salah?
There was a collective groan around the Emirates on Tuesday night when it became clear that Calafiori could no longer continue.
Not just because the Italian has quickly endeared himself to supporters since his arrival from Bologna in the summer but also because they knew exactly what it could mean for Sunday.
One of the best right wingers of the last decade will be lining up for Liverpool in the form of Mo Salah and and he’ll be licking his lips at the absence of Arsenal’s first choice left-back.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has shut down Salah in the past but he’ll also be watching from the stands.
Mo Salah poses an even bigger threat to Arsenal with Riccardo Calafiori sidelined
Now Arteta has three options and none of them are inspiring Arsenal fans with too much confidence given the challenge ahead.
Oleksandr Zinchenko should be available but his defensive shortcomings will be a concern, especially when you consider the torrid times he was given by Salah at Anfield in the past two seasons.
Jakub Kiwior could also fill the role and did impress against the Reds at the Emirates last year but he’s a player that few Arsenal fans hold in high regard.
The third option is Myles Lewis-Skelly, who looks to have a bright future ahead of him but has played just one minute of Premier League football.
