Arsenal have been near perfect at home in the Premier League this season, and I don’t see that changing here. Mikel Arteta’s side have won nine of their 10 home games this season, with only Manchester City managing to salvage a point from their trip to the Emirates.

This record is already impressive, but the manner of the victories is perhaps more standout. Arsenal have already blown away the likes of Aston Villa and Tottenham at home this season, as well as obliterated sides like Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. This suggests that the Emirates is one of the toughest places to visit right now, and Liverpool arrive significantly weakened.

The Reds will be without Isak, Salah, and Ekitike for this clash, which is a loss that decimates their forward options and could force Slot to put Cody Gakpo up front. Liverpool will find it difficult to break down the best defence in the division without these attacking options - Arsenal have only conceded five goals across their 10 home matches in the Premier League this term. 

Liverpool’s recent record may look like there has been an upturn in form, but they still look very vulnerable on the road, having conceded twice against Fulham last time out and shipping 18 goals across their 10 away matches.

Arsenal regularly utilise corners and other set pieces as a path to goal, with 12 of the 40 goals that Arsenal have scored in the Premier League this season coming from set pieces (30%).

Arsenal can sometimes struggle to find a path to goal through open play, so corners may provide an avenue around what is set to be an organised Liverpool side. Arne Slot has been packing the midfield recently, which has made the Reds more secure but taken away a bit of their attacking threat.

Arsenal are averaging 5.90 corners per game at the Emirates in the Premier League this season; only four sides have a better corner record at home. Arsenal racked up eight corners at Anfield in the most recent head-to-head clash, which was a gritty affair that saw chances from open play limited

Florian Wirtz continues to grow at Liverpool and has registered three goal contributions across his last five matches in all competitions - including scoring against Fulham last time out as the Reds picked up a point at Craven Cottage in the form of a 2-2 draw.

Wirtz has been fouled in two of his last five Premier League appearances, and has won 13 fouls across his 15 starts in the division overall (0.88 per 90). In isolation, this may not seem to be that convincing of a record, but Wirtz is also completing 1.70 dribbles per 90 and having over 70 touches per game, making him an ideal candidate to be hauled down at least once here.

Wirtz’s main opponent is likely to be Martin Zubimendi, who is Arsenal’s designated destroyer in the middle of the park. The Spaniard has committed 21 fouls across his 19 starts in the Premier League this term (1.12 per 90), which is a promising record when looking to back his opponent to be fouled in this clash.

Wirtz completed more dribbles than any other player in the most recent head-to-head meeting between the sides (3). This highlights how willing Wirtz is to carry the ball, especially through tight areas, which is a trait that can assist him when it comes to winning a foul here.

Jurrien Timber has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers in the Premier League this season and has been fouled in three of his last five Premier League matches, including each of his previous two outings.

Timber starts as a right back but is allowed to be very adventurous by Mikel Arteta, which regularly sees him take up positions higher up the pitch, usually to the inside of either Saka or Madueke. This movement has seen Timber win 20 fouls across his 17 Premier League appearances this term (1.16 per 90).

Timber was fouled in the league meeting between the sides earlier in the season, with the Dutchman contesting 10 duels in that clash. He was up against Cody Gakpo on that occasion, but is expected to face Curtis Jones here, who has committed seven fouls across his nine starts in the top flight this term (0.65 per 90).

One area that I thought Rice had to improve on before the season started was his end product. With Martin Zubimendi now excelling in the side, Rice is free to push higher up the pitch and influence the game in the final third. He’s registered seven goal contributions across his 18 Premier League appearances this term, with two of these coming against Bournemouth last time out.

Rice registered 11 goal contributions across his 35 appearances in the Premier League last season, so he’s on track to beat his tally from last campaign, which could prove crucial to Arsenal’s title charge. The two goals that Rice netted against Bournemouth last time out should give him confidence to take aim at goal here on a few occasions. He’s averaging 1.51 shots per 90 in the Premier League this term, so there should be chances that fall his way.

There’s also great potential for a Rice assist through his role on set-piece delivery. Madueke or Saka can occasionally take corners, but Rice’s delivery is the best in the Arsenal side, and he has his best target to aim for in Gabriel, who has returned from injury and is set to start here. Backing a Rice assist on its own also looks appealing at 4.0.

Cody Gakpo is set to lead the line for Liverpool here in the absence of Salah, Ekitike, and Isak. I’ve always thought that Gakpo would be better suited to the role of a striker; he doesn’t quite have the subtle movement to be an effective winger, but is a decent finisher and has a high shot volume to match, which can play to our advantage here.

Gakpo had five shots against Fulham last time out as Liverpool drew 2-2 with the Cottagers. This tally was half of the total number of attempts that Liverpool managed in that game, showing how reliant the Reds currently are on Gakpo to carry their attacking threat. Gakpo is averaging 3.08 shots per 90 in the Premier League this term, though more of these should be finding the target (0.57 per 90).

Gakpo’s move to a central striking role should aid him in finding the target here. I’d also have a look at shot lines for Gakpo here. Arsenal don’t concede a lot of shots, but the efforts they do suffer here are likely to come from Gakpo as the vocal point of Liverpool’s current depleted attacking set-up.

Conor Bradley is by far the most aggressive player in the Liverpool squad, as illustrated by the five yellow cards he’s collected across just 11 starts in the Premier League this term. He’s committed 16 fouls across these matches (1.71 per 90), further highlighting just how aggressive the 22-year-old is. 

His most recent caution came in Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road, a game that saw Bradley commit two fouls in just 68 minutes of action. Bradley should be just as combative with his challenges in this clash with his main opponent, set to be Gabriel Martinelli.

Martinelli has had a bit of a resurgence this season, but most of his positive movements have come in the Champions League or from the bench. He’s won nine fouls across his six starts in the Premier League this term (1.69 per 90) and could be replaced by Eze (1.71 fouls won per 90) later on in the contest.