TAKING a break from their Premier League title battle, Arsenal and Liverpool lock horns in the third round of the FA Cup at the Emirates on Sunday.
The Gunners, craving a first league crown in 20 years, suffered two damaging defeats during the festive period, losing to both West Ham and Fulham respectively.
That pair of setbacks means Mikel Arteta's men entered the new year in fourth place in the Premier League table, five points off the summit.
Arteta will be hoping that the FA Cup provides some respite for his side but their opening tie in this year's competition could hardly be much tougher.
Liverpool are flying high at the top of the Premier League table and although they've not been at their devastating best just yet, there were certainly signs of that in their 4-2 win over Newcastle on New Year's Day, in a game that brought up all three of my recommended bets.
While the FA Cup may not sit at the top of the Reds' priority list right now, Jurgen Klopp will be keen to see his side keep their quadruple dream alive by eliminating Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.
Outright Betting
Despite losing each of their last two Premier League games, Arsenal go into this third round tie as even-money favourites with Bet 365.
The pair played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield a fortnight ago and another stalemate here can be backed at 3/1 (Bet 365) while a Liverpool triumph is trading at 12/5 (Betfred).
Betting Angles
Team news permitting, I'm going to plump for another player-based Bet Builder, with both Alexis Mac Allister and Declan Rice to commit a foul standing out at 5/6 (PaddyPower).
Reds midfielder Mac Allister has been Liverpool's most prolific hatchet-man this season, clocking up five yellows and one red card across his 15 top-flight appearances this term.
Across that stretch of games, the World Cup winner is averaging 1.5 fouls per-90, and I would expect that trend to continue in the capital given that there could be some ring rust on show following his return from injury against Newcastle.
Moving into Arsenal's engine room, I'm also prepared to back Declan Rice to get on the wrong side of the referee at least once during this all- Premier League cup clash.
The all-action England international has committed a foul in five of his last six appearances for the Gunners, one of which was against Liverpool at Anfield only two weeks ago.
With all that in mind, backing the aforementioned duo to each commit a foul at 5/6 (PaddyPower) holds plenty of appeal in what should be a competitive midfield battle.
On a similar line of reasoning to the above, I'll also have a nibble on the 11/4 (PaddyPower) about Declan Rice committing two or more during this cup tie.
This bet would have paid out when the pair faced off at Anfield a fortnight ago and the same play looks worthy of a small investment in north London this weekend.
This FA Cup match between Arsenal and Liverpool will be played on Jan 7, 2024 and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
