On Saturday, the 27th round kicks off in the English Premier League, promising to be intriguing. The most attention should be drawn to the match at "Anfield" stadium, where the local "Liverpool" will face London's "Arsenal".
"Liverpool" - "Arsenal"
Tournament: Premier League (27th round)
Stadium: "Anfield" (Liverpool)
Referee: Robert Madley
Date and time: 2017-03-04, 19:30
This is a neighborly match in the tournament table. Both teams are not in their best form - in the last five games, "Liverpool" celebrated victory only once, while "Arsenal" had two successful matches.
Sporting form
Both clubs understand that the fight for the champion's title this season is almost impossible, so now all attention is focused on the top four. However, the competition for entry into the UEFA Champions League is very intense, and the teams are playing very inconsistently this season.
"Liverpool" defeated one of the most dangerous teams in the league, London's "Tottenham", in the 24th round with a score of 2-0, but in the last games Jurgen Klopp's team lost 3-1 to "Leicester City" after suffering five consecutive defeats.
In the last five games in the Premier League, the "Reds" won only once, suffered three defeats, and also once ended in a draw against London's "Chelsea". "Liverpool" ranks fifth with 49 points, but "Manchester United" in sixth place has the opportunity to leave their closest rivals behind.
"Arsenal", after a painful defeat in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, returned to the path of victories in the FA Cup by defeating "Sutton United" team. In the last five games in the domestic competitions, the "Gunners" celebrated victory three times and suffered two defeats.
"Arsenal" currently has 50 points in the tournament table and has played one fewer game compared to the Manchester clubs. Arsene Wenger's team remains in fourth place for now, but the situation could change after this round.
Team news
Due to injuries, the "Liverpool" team will not have the team captain Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge in these matches. It is unclear whether Dejan Lovren, who did not play in the last game, will be in the starting lineup.
Meanwhile, before the match with "Liverpool", "Arsenal" received both good and not so pleasant news - Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny are ready for the game, but Mesut Ozil will not be able to help the team due to the flu. Also missing due to a knock injury is Mohamed Elneny.
Projected starting lineup for "Liverpool": Simon Mignolet; Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren, James Milner; Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum; Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho.
Projected starting lineup for "Arsenal": Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Francis Coquelin, Granit Xhaka; Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Iwobi; Alexis Sanchez.
Interesting facts
In the matches between these teams, there is never a shortage of goals - in the last three matches at "Anfield" stadium, 16 goals were scored. The average goal ratio in matches is 5.3.
Jurgen Klopp can become the first Liverpool manager since the 1999-2000 season to beat Arsenal in consecutive league matches.
Olivier Giroud (5) has scored more goals against Liverpool than anyone else in the Arsenal ranks - only Thierry Henry with 8 goals surpasses him.
The "Arsenal" team does not have good memories at the "Anfield" stadium in the last three matches - one loss and two draws.
Liverpool has kept a clean sheet against Arsenal only twice in their last 22 matches. The last time the "Reds" kept a clean sheet against Arsenal was in 2006 when the Gunners were defeated 1-0 in Liverpool.
Prediction
There is a good chance we will see many goals in this match. Both teams' defensive lines are not at their best, making it difficult for goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet at "Anfield". A victory is crucial for both Liverpool and Arsenal.
Knowing Liverpool's determination in matches against the top teams, it would not be a surprise if they secure a victory. Prediction - a Liverpool victory with a score of 2-1.
