Gary Neville exposes key Liverpool weakness that Arsenal can exploit but only on one condition

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Arsenal are preparing for their blockbuster Premier League clash against Liverpool on match day nine.

It’s been a relatively strong start to the campaign for Mikel Arteta’s side, who suffered their first defeat of the 2024/25 calendar last time out on the road. 

Bournemouth handed the Gunners their first loss of the Premier League season, winning 2-0 at the Vitality to give Arsenal a wake-up call ahead of their clash with Liverpool. 

Arne Slot’s side will visit the Emirates with peak confidence, topping the table at present after a blistering start.

• READ MORE: Paul Scholes makes controversial claim about the quality of Arsenal’s squad before facing Liverpool

Gary Neville pinpoints Liverpool frailty ahead of Arsenal test

It’s not going to be easy for Arsenal at home to Liverpool, particularly after their previous two performances.

The Gunners lost terribly to Bournemouth and despite bouncing back with a win over Shakhtar Donetsk, Arteta’s side looked far from being at their best.

As a result, there are naturally some nerves going into the Liverpool game, paired with Arsenal’s current injury list.

That being said, Gary Neville thinks that Arteta can craft his side to get the better of the Reds, spotting one frailty within Slot’s in-form squad. 

“I thought Andy Robertson last week, he’s a brilliant defender but I thought something was up with him,” Neville said on The Overlap.

The Manchester United icon then warned Liverpool that “if Saka is playing,” there could be trouble on the left side for the visitors.

It’s a big ‘if’ that Arsenal have to pay close attention to, as preparing to take on Liverpool with a selection of key players on the sidelines will require the opposition’s weaknesses to be preyed on.

Will Bukayo Saka play against Liverpool?

Neville raised that Bukayo Saka could cause problems for Andy Robertson on the left side of Liverpool’s defence, something that Arteta will be more than aware of. 

There’s mixed opinion on whether the Englishman will be fit to start against the Reds, having missed Arsenal’s previous two games due to injury.

• READ MORE: Mikel Arteta gives worrying response when asked if Arsenal star Bukayo Saka will play vs Liverpool

It’s been reported that Arsenal will make a late decision on Saka’s fitness ahead of the game, which differed from Arteta’s comments in midweek as he said he couldn’t be ‘very helpful’ with an update on the winger.

As Neville alluded to, Saka’s availability could be crucial to Arsenal’s chances of getting the better of Liverpool, with Robertson there to be exploited if the England international is fit in time.