It’s the Christmas period and out of our packed schedule this game could possibly be the biggest of the lot.
Along with the massive history and rivalry between the two sides the anticipation for tonight’s game against Liverpool has been amplified even more.
Having lost out on the Champions League to them by a point on the last day of last season, embarrassing ourselves away at Anfield early this season and then Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moving up there days after, this game has become a huge game for Arsenal.
Encounters between Arsenal and Liverpool are usually action packed no matter of the situation but with all this in mind there could be explosions under the Emirates’ Friday night lights.
The last four games between the sides has seen 18 goals scored in total and with Liverpool currently the most feared attacking team in the Premier League behind Manchester City, it’s only fair to expect goals tonight but where will they be coming from?
Of those last four games between each other, Arsenal have failed to win but that could give them more fire to go and get a result, especially after the manner in which we lost at Anfield in August. On coming off the back of that performance, Arsene Wenger said:
“When you have such a long career you have defeats that hurt you for the rest of your life but in football you always have time to make up for it and when you can put things right, you should do.
“The motivation is there, the squad have a good mentality, it’s just for us make sure were on top of our game and we play with a determined attitude.”
Going into the game, Arsenal haven’t been on the best of runs, scraping wins in the past week after disappointing draws but with all that could be at stake in this game you’d hope this’ll bring out that ‘determined attitude’ come kick-off.
Despite Arsenal being the more successful club of late, Liverpool have trumped us in head to heads repeatedly for the past few years, dating back to the 5-1 thrashing in the 2013-14 season so there is a lot riding on this game.
Being just a point behind Liverpool a win could help us get back on track after the blip of December as we head into some more challenging games against Crystal Palace and Chelsea and really kickstart our race for the top four again.
However, a loss could prove the returning Oxlade-Chamberlain right in his decision to move North and join Jurgen Klopp.
Having finally seemed to adjusted to his new environment, the Ox seems to be returning to North London at just the right time. Getting minutes in midfield and contributing to goals everything seems to be going well on the attack but that could all change tonight.
If picked, he’ll be the most scruntinised player on the pitch and whether he’s able to deal with the pressure that’ll be heaved on him by not just Arsenal fans in the stadium but Sky Sports’ Friday Night team also is a big question we’ll find the answer too tonight.
Wenger has always asked for his returning ex-players to be respected by Arsenal fans which hasn’t always been the case. If you look at the moves of Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri, it’s likely the Ox will receive a similar reception which could just work in our favour in what could be a game to make or break our season.
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