Liverpool vs. Arsenal, Saturday 20 November 19:30
Liverpool vs. Arsenal, Saturday 20 November 19:30

Pressure has slowly been building on Liverpool’s defense over the last couple of months and finally the Reds were handed their first defeat of the season after a 3-2 loss away to West Ham. The Reds are now winless in their last two matches and as a result have slipped down to fourth place on the table with 22 points. With 31 goals they are still the highest scoring team in the league and on the surface their defense still looks respectable with just 11 goals let in this season. However, the problem is that seven of these 11 goals have come in their last five matches which suggests that something is not quite right with the defense. In previous EPL seasons teams have got off to a flying start to the season only to have their momentum taken away by their first defeat and then go on to have a poor remainder of the season. Right now Liverpool are in danger of this happening to them and they need to bounce back right away or risk falling into a slump for the remainder of the season. Prior to their loss against West Ham they managed a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton, a 5-0 win away to Manchester United, a 5-0 win away to Watford and a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City. Arsenal is probably not the team they would have liked to have faced after their first loss of the season, but if they can bounce back against an in-form team like the Gunners on Saturday it will go a long way towards getting their campaign right back on track.

After losing their first three matches of the season the Gunners are right back in the thick of things and back to being serious contenders for a spot in Europe next season. They have managed to climb all the way back up to fifth spot where they sit with 20 points. In their last match before the international break the picked up three points at the Emirates with a 1-0 win against Watford. They are now on a three match winning streak and are also undefeated in their last eight EPL matches. Arteta’s men have managed 13 goals so far season which is far from the best in the league, but the team is making huge strides and can no doubt up this number considerably if they continue the way they are. While the Gunners might still be working on perfecting their attack their defense has seen a major improvement and it’s been the main reason they’ve been able to find better results. After letting in nine goals in their first three matches of the season they have only let in four goals in the other eight matches, while also keeping five clean sheets. This is quite a turnaround and if they can keep their defense tight against a Liverpool side that’s ratted after losing to West Ham we could be in for a very interesting clash on Saturday. 

Liverpool have dominated the last five clashes between the two teams with four wins, while Arsenal have won just once. The last time these two sides met was in April at the Emirates where Liverpool won 3-0. The Reds have done an amazing job of defending their home fortress in the EPL against Arsenal and you will have to go all the way back to September 2012 to find the last time Arsenal managed a win at Anfield. Liverpool have also won their last five clashes at Anfield and 2016 was the last time the Gunners managed to avoid leaving Liverpool empty-handed.

Prediction

History is firmly on Liverpool’s side going into this clash, but I can’t help feeling that last week’s loss is going to have an impact on Klopp’s men. Right now Arsenal have got their tails up, while Liverpool are facing the prospect of going three matches without a win. Goalscoring is still a slight issue for Arsenal and until they get this fully sorted I cannot see them defeating top sides like Liverpool, but for me their defense has seen major improvement and with Liverpool’s ego being slightly bruised after their first defeat of the season I believe they might just be able to force a draw. I am going to have a stab at Arsenal double chance and I am also expecting a tight low-scoring match so I will have a go at under 2.5 goals. I am also going to add in only one team to score along with under 2.5 goals in case the match finishes 1-0 or 2-0 in favour of Liverpool and for goalscorers I like the value on Emile Smith-Rowe to score since he has scored in all of Arsenal’s last three EPL matches.

BetOlimp Best Bets

Double Chance: Arsenal or Draw – 2.68
Alternative Total Goals: Total 2.5 Under – 2.57
Both teams to score – no and total 2.5 under - 2.95
Anytime Goalscorer: Emile Smith-Rowe – 5.20

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