There’s no doubt that Arsenal will need to seriously elevate their game if they are going to beat a nearly full strength Liverpool side under Arne Slot this weekend.
Arsenal took three points against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday but it wasn’t the confidence inspiring performance fans were hoping for after the defeat to Bournemouth a few days prior.
Liverpool, on the other hand, followed up their excellent win against Chelsea away to RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Darwin Nunez has stepped up in Diogo Jota’s absence and grabbed Liverpool’s solitary goal in a 1-0 win.
Arsenal were interested in Nunez this summer, perhaps a transfer that could still be revisited next year.
Paul Scholes thinks Liverpool have a stronger squad than Arsenal right now
That being said, when speaking with Ian Wright on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast, Paul Scholes made an interesting comment when comparing the quality of Arsenal and Liverpool’s squads.
Scholes shared his honest belief that Liverpool are ahead right now, believing that they have more quality than Arsenal.
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Wright didn’t necessarily disagree, but he needed to hear Scholes say it again.
Among a lot of loud voices, Scholes initially said: “I think Liverpool’s squad is better than Arsenal’s.”
Wright replied: “You think, Paul?”
Scholes: “I do.”
Wright: “No, no, no, wait, Paul, say that again…”
Scholes: “I think Liverpool’s squad is better than Arsenal’s. I think [Pep] Guardiola would be more worried about Liverpool than Arsenal.
Wright: “At the moment you think?”
Scholes: “Yeah.”
Wright: “I think is that with their experience as well? Because again, what I’m saying is with Liverpool coming to the Emirates, they know what to do in these situations with their experience.”
Bukayo Saka vs Mohamed Salah
It’s a tough call, and that should be to the credit of both sides in reality.
David Raya and Alisson Becker are both world-class goalkeepers, and there’s little to chose between the back lines of both sides, even if Arsenal might be envious of Virgil van Dijk’s experience.
In midfield, Arsenal probably pip the debate, Liverpool would love to have someone as dominant as Declan Rice in the middle.
With everyone fit, including the likes of Martin Odegaard, it’s a no brainer.
However, the debate becomes incredibly tough once again when you look at the respective front lines of each side.
Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah are the stand out players, and there’s perhaps very little to choose between the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Luis Diaz.
Perhaps Kai Havertz should be put towards the top of that list too, but it’s certainly not any easy debate.
That being said, Arsenal might have a cunning plan to stop Salah on Sunday.
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