Emile Smith-Rowe To Start, Kieran Tierney On The Bench | 4-4-1-1 Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Liverpool

By
Debraj Bhattacharyya
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Arsenal will clash heads with Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday when Premier League football resumes after the international break. Arsenal are currently 5th on the table, only 2 points behind Liverpool, and are on a massive high winning their last 3 Premier League games. Liverpool are coming back off a disappointing defeat to West Ham United and currently find themselves 4th on the table. Jurgen Klopp’s men have dropped 9 points in their last 6 games in the league including blowing away leads vs Manchester City, Brentford and Brighton.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions and Mikel Arteta will be hoping for more of the same when they face Liverpool this weekend. They have only won once out of the last 15 fixtures against their opponents on Saturday as Liverpool have dominated this fixture for a while now but Arteta would want a positive response from his side when they meet this time.

Let’s look at how Arteta will shape his team vs Liverpool on Saturday.

Defence

Aaron Ramsdale will continue between the sticks for Arsenal and should be high on confidence after getting his first England cap this week and topping that off with a cleansheet. The English international has kept 5 cleansheets for the Gunners in 8 games.

Ben White and Gabriel will start at the heart of the defence which has been Arsenal’s main strength this season. They have been solid and dependable and will hope to continue the same way. Tomiyasu will start at the right-back position and his main job will be to keep the Liverpool attackers quiet from his flank.

Kieran Tierney will again start from the bench as Nuno Tavares’ fine form will reward him with another start.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal battles for possession with Naby Keita of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield on September 28, 2020 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency:
Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/)
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Midfield

The Gunners are having an injury scare in the middle of the park with Thomas Partey suffering from a groin injury. He pulled out of the Gabon squad and is likely to miss out on the clash on Saturday. Xhaka is already out for a while now, which means Arteta will hand another start to Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the midfield. Sambi Lokonga will start beside him with the midfielder gradually settling into the team.

Emile Smith-Rowe will start on the left flank and is currently on fine form after netting 3 goals in his last 4 league games. Smith-Rowe was rewarded with an England call up last week and scored his first goal for his nation in only his 2nd appearance. Bukayo Sako will be starting on the opposite flank and will provide an attacking threat to Liverpool in transition.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette will lead the frontline for the Gunners with the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard on the bench.

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