Liverpool further burnished their title credentials on Sunday when they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield and are now being considered as a genuine contender to threaten Manchester City’s Premier League crown.
Coming into the season, not many had pegged Liverpool to threaten the title race given they just lost their talismanic former manager Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, his replacement didn’t have a proven track record outside of the Netherlands.
His Feyenoord team were impressive but they are not the biggest club in the Netherlands and many questioned the Dutchman’s ability to handle the pressure of being the Liverpool manager.
However, Slot has made his detractors eat humble pie early in his reign on Merseyside and his Reds side are sitting at the summit of the Premier League table after eight games despite doubts about their ability to sustain a title challenge.
But Sunday’s trip to Arsenal is going to be a tough test given the fact the Gunners ran Manchester City the closest in the title race in the previous two seasons.
The Gunners are again being seen as a genuine contender but they are coming into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth and a mounting injury list.
The injuries are piling up and now Arsenal have to face Liverpool – Ex-Premier League star
Martin Odegaard is still to return to action despite suggestions that he could be fit to be in the Arsenal squad against Liverpool on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka missed their 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night and Riccardo Calafiori hobbled off in the second half after twisting his knee.
William Saliba is suspended for the game against Liverpool after picking up a straight red card last weekend and the issues are just piling up for Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal need a result on Sunday but Nigel Reo-Coker conceded that the mounting injuries are a major issue given the quality they will face against Liverpool.
“The biggest concern is the injuries piling up”, he said on CBS Sports.
“Calafiori is a big loss, Odegaard is still not available and you don’t really know where Saka is at.
“And you are facing Liverpool who are right now on fire and that is a big concern.”
Arsenal are still likely to be tough to overcome
The mounting injuries and their disciplinary record this season are indicating a crisis-like situation at Arsenal at this stage of the season.
However, they are still third in the Premier League table and just four points behind Liverpool at the moment.
A win for Liverpool on Sunday will considerably open up the gap between the two teams but it is going to be easier said than done.
The Gunners were nowhere close to their best on Tuesday night in the Champions League but still managed to grind out a result against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arsenal remain a defensively resolute team but there will be question marks about their backline without Saliba and potentially, Calafiori.
Arteta will be desperate to get Odegaard and Saka back on the pitch but Arsenal are still likely to be a tough team to beat at the Emirates despite Liverpool’s recent resurgence.
