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On Saturday afternoon, spectators of the English Premier League will be delighted with a match between two teams from the strongest quartet. Liverpool will host the league leaders Arsenal at Anfield stadium.
Liverpool - Arsenal League: English Premier League Stadium: Anfield, Liverpool Referee: Michael Oliver Date and time: 2014-02-08, 14:45
In the 25th round of the championship, the leading London Arsenal players face a tough challenge - an away game at Anfield stadium, where Liverpool's attacking machine will threaten the opponent's goals.
Arsene Wenger's team is facing a marathon of important matches - after the game in Liverpool, the "Gunners" will face the country's champions Manchester United, and the following weekend they will meet Brendan Rodgers' team again in the FA Cup. Shortly after that, Arsenal will host the European champions Bayern Munich.
Currently leading in the Premier League, Arsenal is showing excellent form with five wins and one draw in their last six matches. A.Wenger's team has a two-point advantage over their closest pursuers, Manchester City and Chelsea.
In Saturday's match, Arsenal will be without defenders Aaron Ramsey, Abou Diaby, and Kim Kallstrom, forwards Theo Walcott and Yaya Sanogo, and defender Thomas Vermaelen. Mathieu Flamini will also miss the game due to suspension.
Midfielder Jack Wilshere, who has been sidelined for some time, could return to the field, and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, who scored a double against Crystal Palace, could be a secret weapon.
In their last meeting, there was no shortage of emotions. The fourth-placed Liverpool players are 8 points behind Arsenal in the tournament table, with Everton and Tottenham also climbing the ranks to try to enter the top four this season.
In the last six matches, B.Rodgers' team stumbled three times, losing to Chelsea, drawing with Aston Villa and West Bromwich. The Liverpool team's playing style can be described as fluctuating.
An injury epidemic has especially affected Liverpool's defensive line. Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Mamadou Sakho, Sebastian Coates, and Jose Enrique will be unavailable for the team.
The biggest threat to their opponents should come from the attacking duo of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. Suarez has scored 23 goals in 19 games this season and is the league's top scorer.
In their last meeting at Anfield, Arsenal won 2-0 after goals from Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla. The same result was recorded in this season's match at Emirates Stadium.
Prior to this match, Arsenal manager A. Wenger said the team must control the game if they don't want the opposing attacking duo to cause problems: "We have to keep the game under our control so that Suarez and Sturridge don't cause trouble."
"We have celebrated several great victories at Anfield stadium. I have great respect for the fans of this team, who understand football. I believe Liverpool has great attacking capabilities."
"Now our opponents are in a better position than the last time we met. Liverpool is now showing decent form," said the Frenchman.
Predicted line-ups:
Liverpool: Mignolet; Flanagan, Škrtel, Toure, Cissokho; Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling; Sturridge, Suarez.
Arsenal: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Arteta, Wilshere, Ozil, Cazorla, Chamberlain; Giroud.
