Arsenal take on Liverpool in what is the biggest game of 2026 so far.
The Premier League leaders are six points clear at the top of the table, and a win against the defending champions will make an even bigger statement in the title race.
Arsenal are the favourites to win the game on Thursday night, but Liverpool have already beaten the Gunners once this season and cannot be underestimated.
Chris Sutton has now had his say about the game, and the pundit feels Mikel Arteta will change his tactics.
We want to know your score prediction AND who is scoring 👀
Chris Sutton says Mikel Arteta will not repeat what Arsenal did against Liverpool at Anfield
Arsenal faced Liverpool very early in the season.
The Gunners had a tougher start to the campaign than any other club, and they had a few problems going into the game at Anfield.
Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were both ruled out due to injury, while William Saliba hobbled off the pitch after just five minutes due to an issue of his own.
Cristhian Mosquera replaced him at the back, while Arteta chose Mikel Merino to start in midfield instead of his captain, Odegaard.
That led to a lot of criticism from pundits, with many claiming that the Arsenal manager played with the handbrake on.
Ahead of the game on Thursday, Sutton has claimed that the Gunners will not be as conservative again.
He wrote on BBC Sport: “When Liverpool beat them at Anfield in August, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was criticised for being too cautious, as he often is in big games like this.
“It has to be different this time. This Liverpool team have been leaking goals all season, so Gunners fans are not going to accept Arteta sitting back. I doubt Arteta will do it this time, because Arsenal are at home and Liverpool are there for the taking.
“In fact, there should be zero negativity in the way they are set up. Manchester City have dropped points twice in the past few days, so Arsenal are six points clear. It’s just over six years since Arteta took charge, and this is not the time for him to be cautious.
“The Gunners should go for it, because they are on a different level to Liverpool, and they may as well be in a different league.”
This is our predicted Arsenal XI vs Liverpool. What changes would you make to this side?
Chris Sutton and Paul Merson agree on Arsenal vs Liverpool result
We agree with Sutton here; Arteta will play a more attacking midfield against Liverpool, and that could make a massive difference.
As good as Merino is, Arsenal are a lot more dangerous when Odegaard starts in attacking midfield, and we expect that to happen on Thursday.
If the Norwegian continues his good recent form, the Gunners could blow Liverpool out of the water when they face each other at the Emirates.
Paul Merson has already predicted that Arsenal will beat Liverpool, and Sutton has now agreed with the former Gunners star.
He wrote: “This is a bang-average Liverpool team this season, and Arsenal should be able to exploit all of their weaknesses. It should be pretty comfortable for the league leaders too.”
Sutton’s prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
