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Arsenal and Liverpool met a few weeks ago and the pair go head to head once again, this time in the FA Cup third round. The match takes place at the Emirates and gets underway at 4:30pm UK time.
Arsenal
Arsenal are going through a sticky patch. Mikel Arteta’s side have failed to win four of their last five matches and come off the back of a loss at Craven Cottage to mid-table Fulham. Despite their disappointing form, they’re still very much in the title race and win in this FA Cup tie could restore their confidence heading into 2024.
Match has ended
Although they’ve been considerably better at the Emirates, Arsenal lost their unbeaten home record against West Ham at the end of December and they will be aiming to bounce back here. They have fallen to fourth in the table after dropping 11 points throughout December and although Arteta may point to the scheduling as an issue, each PL side has had to endure the same cramped fixture list.
They will be without Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu, both of whom will be away on international duty whereas injury-prone Thomas Partey continues his absence from the side. Oleksandr Zinchenko has also been ruled out of this game with Ben White likely to face a late fitness test. More worrying for Arteta is the form of Declan Rice, who has looked a little jaded across the festive period whereas the Gunners’ attacking players have failed to link up successfully.
The North London side have a fantastic record in the FA Cup, although they did exit to a fellow Premier League outfit last season, albeit in the fourth round of the competition. Arsenal were knocked out at this stage by Nottingham Forest in January 2022.
Liverpool
Liverpool have capitalised on Arsenal’s recent stumble and they have cemented their place at the top of the Premier League table. They have a three point over Villa and are currently undefeated since September 30th when they were defeated in controversial circumstances against Spurs. This could prove to be a welcome distraction from the pressures that come with sitting top of the Premier League and Jurgen Klopp may opt to use some of his fringe players in this contest.
The Reds will have to survive January without two key players as the talismanic Mo Salah heads to AFCON with Egypt whereas the calm and composed Wataru Endo will be making his way to the Asian Cup. Liverpool’s squad should be deep enough to cope, however, Jurgen Klopp will need many of his squad players to step up and fill the void.
Liverpool required a replay to overcome Wolves at this stage of the competition last season, however, they subsequently crashed out to Brighton at the end of January. The previous season, they’d progressed all the way to the final of the competition where they triumphed on penalties against Chelsea.
Liverpool are very strong at Anfield, yet their recent away form hasn’t been bad either. The Merseyside outfit have won each of their last three on the road and have left both the Etihad and Stamford Bridge with a point. Jurgen Klopp knows that his side must also negotiate the Europa Conference League this season, yet he’ll still be keen for this side to progress.
Head to Head
These two sides played out a 1-1 draw when they met just a couple of weeks ago. That game took place at Anfield and proved to be a fairly even contest overall. Their last meeting in a cup competition came in 2022 when they bumped into one another in the League Cup.
The last FA Cup meeting between these two came in February 2014 with Arsenal running out 2-1 winners. Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain was amongst the goalscorers.
There is a possibility that this game could require a replay with three of the last six meetings overall having finished all-square.
Key Betting Stats
- BTTS has landed in each of the last three meetings between these sides
- Liverpool have scored exactly two goals in four of their last six away games.
- Arsenal have failed to score in three of their last four FA Cup ties
- The Gunners have won or progressed in each of their last four FA Cup matches
- The hosts have kept just a single clean sheet in their last seven PL outings
- Liverpool have lost just one of their last five away FA Cup ties
Match Prediction
This is a tough one to call and the absences for either side are unlikely to help. Nevertheless, Arsenal’s current form is a concern and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they opt to tighten up and restrict Liverpool.
Winning Combo
Under 2.5 Goals
23/20 with Bet365
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