Massive game in North London on Thursday night as Premier League leaders Arsenal welcome reigning champions Liverpool to the Emirates.
Arsenal recorded their fifth consecutive Premier League victory at the weekend, as they came from a goal down to win 2-3 away at out-of-form Bournemouth.
It’s been a particularly good couple of matchdays for the Gunners, as not only have they won their last two matches, but Manchester City have drawn their past two encounters, meaning the North London club are now six points clear of the Pep Guardiola’s men at the top of the table.
Mikel Arteta will hope his side continues their strong home form on Thursday, as they have won nine of their 10 encounters at the Emirates (W9-D1-L0), only dropping points in a 1-1 draw with title-rivals Manchester City.
Liverpool thought they had clinched victory at Fulham in stoppage time on Sunday, only for the Cottagers to equalise in the 97th minute on an afternoon my solitary selection landed.
Whilst that draw extended Liverpool’s unbeaten streak to eight matches in the Premier League (W4-D4-L0), they remain in fourth position, some 14 points behind their hosts.
How the bookies view it: Gunners favourites
The bookies are expecting Arsenal to extend their winning run to six matches in the Premier League on Thursday, with bet365 pricing a home success at just 11/20.
Champions Liverpool are 9/2 (bet365) outsiders to leave North London with all three points, whilst the draw is 16/5.
Head to head: Reds with the upper hand
This is a fixture Liverpool have tended to enjoy in recent years, with the Reds losing just two of their past 13 meetings with the Gunners (W6-D5-L2), including a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture at Anfield back in August.
However, those two victories have come across the last three meetings at the Emirates, and an Arsenal Win & Over 1.5 Goals pays 4/5 at bet365, which appeals to me.
Players to watch: Trossard to continue to cause trouble?
Leandro Trossard did the business for us in Arsenal’s last home game last week at the Emirates, as he scored and provided an assist in the Gunners’ 4-1 thrashing of high-flying Aston Villa.
The Belgian international now has eight goal contributions in his previous 11 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, and is an appealing 20/21 at bet365 for him to Score or Assist on Thursday.
Predicted line-ups:
Mikel Arteta will likely still be without defender Cristhian Mosquera, whilst fellow defender Ricardo Calafiori is a doubt.
Liverpool will still be missing Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak through injury, whilst Mo Salah is away to AFCON.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Rice, Trossard, Saka, Gyokeres
Liverpool: Alisson, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Jones, Wirtz, MacAllister, Szoboszlai, Gakpo
Anything else catch the eye?
Arsenal’s previous 10 Premier League encounters have averaged 3.30 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals paying out in seven (70%) of them – including in five of their past six – whilst eight (80%) have produced goals at both ends, only keeping clean sheets at home to Brentford and away at Everton in that sequence.
Liverpool’s matches away from home in the Premier League this season have been high-scoring, with their opening 10 road trips averaging 3.50 goals per game, with Over 2.5 Goals paying out in eight (80%) of them – including in seven of their past eight – whilst seven (70%) have produced goals at both ends.
What’s more, the previous three meetings between the pair at the Emirates have yielded 13 goals (3-2, 3-1 & 2-2), and I suspect we could see another entertaining encounter in North London on Thursday.
Both Teams to Score pays 4/5 at bet365, whilst throwing in Over 2.5 Goals boosts the price up to 6/5, and both selections appeal to me here.
Interested in why both teams scoring is such a strong angle? Check out our Masterclass on BTTS and sharpen your match-reading game.
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