Arsenal are on a roll right now and they once again entered the top-four of the Premier League after beating Leicester City on Sunday.
The Gunners are currently the favourites to secure that final Champions League spot but next up, they welcome Liverpool at the Emirates so there’s every chance that their fine run comes to a halt.
The North London side have won 9 of their last 11 matches in the Premier League so they will obviously be feeling confident going into this midweek clash plus they also have a few games in hand so even if they drop points against Liverpool, all will not be lost for Mikel Arteta and his side.
Having said that though, Arsenal will be eager to pick up a win against one of the giants of Europe because a win against a team like Liverpool will finally cement their resurgence under Mikel Arteta. The manager has an almost fully fit squad to choose from and this is going to be a major boost because Arsenal have a very small first-team squad.
Arsenal team news & tactics vs Liverpool:
Mikel Arteta has kept it simple in terms of tactics and after sending out several players during the January transfer window, the manager has been able to select his strongest starting XI.
🙌 GOOD MORNING, GUNNERS pic.twitter.com/8RC6y1Ylq9
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 14, 2022
Takehiro Tomiyasu is the only player who is going to be an injury absentee so Cedric Soares will hold onto his place on the right-hand side. This could be an area of concern for Arsenal because both Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz have been in great form recently.
Xhaka and Thomas Partey have formed a formidable partnership in the middle of the pitch and the latter was one of the standout players against Leicester City.
Praising Partey, Arteta had said on Sunday: “He’s come a long way, he has the consistency of the minutes, he understands what we want much better, his cohesion and understanding with the rest of the players is getting better and better and now it’s about consistency and keep doing it.”
Granit Xhaka though will have to be on his toes on Wednesday because he’s not blessed with pace so players like Keita and Henderson can very easily get the better of him.
Odegaard had another great performance on Sunday and right now he’s one of the first names on Mikel Arteta’s teamsheet.
Speaking after the 2-0 win, the Arsenal boss said about Odegaard: “He was terrific again today in every aspect of the game, what he had to do in defending, when we were high, when we were deep, in build-up phases, in the final third, the way he understands and manages the game when needed.
“I think he’s come a long way since his arrival, he’s showing great maturity and responsibility on the pitch and he makes the other players better I think.”
Arsenal manager Arteta on Ødegaard: “He was terrific again in every aspect – what he had to do in defending, in build-up phases, the way he understands & manages the game”. 🇳🇴 #AFC
Arsenal are super happy of Martin, signed for less than €40m. No buy back clause for Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/gA7b31LTDW
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 14, 2022
Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench on Sunday and the English youngster is likely to have the same role in the Arsenal vs Liverpool tie as well because his manager will not want to tinker with his attacking combination.
Recent form:
Arsenal: WWWWW
Liverpool: WWWLW
Recent results:
EFL Cup – Jan, 2022 – Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool
EFL Cup – Jan, 2022 – Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal
EPL – Nov, 2021 – Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal
EPL – April, 2021 – Arsenal 0-3 Liverpool
