Arsenal are facing a tough challenge against Liverpool, and a defeat could be damaging for their title hopes.
The Gunners fell to their first defeat of the season as they were beaten by Bournemouth last weekend, which caused even further damage as defender William Saliba was sent off, meaning he is now suspended for the Liverpool clash.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been far from their best in recent games, with a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League failing to convince the Arsenal faithful that they were back on track.
An injury crisis has made preparation for the Liverpool game very difficult, and Arsenal icon Paul Merson has now claimed that the upcoming game could be a brutal one for the home side.
Paul Merson claims Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool would thrash Arsenal
Merson has now told Sportskeeda that the Liverpool game has come at the worst time for Arsenal, and if Liverpool still had Jurgen Klopp in charge, they could have thrashed Arteta’s side.
“If you’re Liverpool, you could accept a draw but deep down inside, they’ll still be disappointed if they fail to win this game,” Merson stated.
“If it was still Jurgen Klopp as manager, I could see Liverpool running riot here and Arsenal getting shredded to pieces with so many of their key players unavailable.
“Klopp always wanted to leave teams with a bloody nose in games like these, whereas Arne Slot is more controlled.”
Would a draw vs Liverpool be a good result for Arsenal?
Given the injury crisis Arsenal are currently enduring, as well as Liverpool’s record-breaking form, a draw would be an acceptable result for Arteta’s side.
This is a game which Arsenal cannot lose if they do not want to fall further behind in the title race, and Merson has claimed that a tie would be respectable for the hosts.
“Liverpool will know these kind of opportunities to face a weakened Arsenal team will not come around very often. But I doubt they’ll get a win. A draw in the end would be a great result for Arsenal,” he added.
Slot’s Liverpool have been impressive, but Klopp’s record against Arsenal over the years was phenomenal, and his team had a tendency to thrash sides away from home before he made the decision to step down last season, with Liverpool even beating Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford.
Arsenal will be Liverpool’s toughest test yet, but if they are to remain alive in the title race, Arteta will need to find a solution to deal with his key absentees.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
