Arsenal face a litmus test against Liverpool this Sunday. With their Stoke debacle behind them, Arsenal must address their weak-points as they gear themselves to be up against a team that is sky high on confidence. Liverpool will be full of purpose at Anfield after a morale-boosting 4-2 win against Hoffenheim guaranteed their spot in this year’s Champions League.
Jürgen Klopp’s men have had a decent start to the season, with the only blip being a draw at Watford. Defensive concerns are on both ends of the pitch so one might expect a goal-fest on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger would be expected to line his team up in a 3-4-3 formation. Let’s quickly run through the XI who can be expected to take to the field when the two powerhouses clash on Sunday.
Arsenal will be buoyed by the return of Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny as both of them returned to first team training and can be expected to take part in this heated encounter.
Here is Arsenal’s predicted line-up against Liverpool:
GK: Petr Cech
Petr Cech will be the obvious choice. Though he has not had a perfect start to the season, he will be expected to guard the goal from Liverpool’s notorious front three.
Defense: Mustafi – Koscielny – Monreal
Koscielny’s return to the first team training has been a huge positive for the Gunners, and he will be expected to start in the centre of the defensive three. Koscielny would be flanked by Mustafi and Monreal on either side.
Wingbacks: Oxlade-Chamberlain – Kolasinac
Hector Bellerin has had a dreary start to the season. He hasn’t lived up to expectations and may be forced to face a drop when Wenger announces his team to face Liverpool. Oxlade-Chamberlain can be expected to start at RWB and Kolasinac at LWB.
Midfield: Ramsey – Elneny
Xhaka’s poor showing against Stoke could mean he would be the one sacrificed in midfield. Mohamed Elneny, who had a bright start in Arsenal’s game vs Leicester City could be tasked with handling the midfield alongside Aaron Ramsey.
Attack: Welbeck – Lacazette – Sanchez
Wenger has confirmed the involvement of Alexis Sanchez in this tie and he could be slotted in at LW, with Lacazette up front and Danny Welbeck at RW. Mesut Ozil has failed to conjure up any magic in the first two games and could be expected to sit out for this encounter. He could come off the bench to add an extra dimension to attack.
