Liverpool are heading to North London on Sunday to face Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.
Over the last season, The Reds and Arsenal fans have developed something of a rivalry between the two clubs.
Their most recent Premier League clash on the 23rd December was even branded as a ‘title decider’ by some.
Looking back at previous campaigns, Liverpool have only been knocked out of the cup at this stage once out of the last 12 seasons.
However, Arsenal have eliminated Jurgen Klopp’s side eight times with only Manchester United exceeding that total with 10.
The last matchup between the two clubs ended with the sides sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
Although Klopp often gives the youngsters a run out in domestic competitions in order to focus on the Premier League, he may try repeat the 2021/22 season’s outcome.
However, Arsenal are notoriously good in the FA Cup as they have won four out of the last 10 competitions.
The game will be one to watch and never team are likely to roll over and let the other win.
The game will also be representing a deeper meaning than that of a normal game.
Arsenal and Liverpool will both be ridding themselves of their usual red colouring.
It is a part of Arsenal’s campaign against knife crime and youth danger, with the usual home kit ‘drained of red’ as a way of raising awareness.
Arsenal team news
As has been the case for most of the season, Mikel Arteta is set to be without a number of first-team players for this Sunday’s clash.
Namely, Oleksandr Zinchenko is the latest in a long line of doubts for the Gunners.
The Ukraine international was forced off the pitch in Arsenal’s last game against Fulham with what is said to be a calf issue.
Furthermore, the likes of, Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira, and Jurrien Timber are all set to miss out due to recent injuries that they have sustained.
Mohamed Elneny will also miss out on the fixture as he will be away with Egypt at the AFCON.
Takehiro Tomiyasu will also be away on international duty as he will be representing Japan in the 2023 Asian Cup.
Liverpool team news
Much like Arsenal, Liverpool will also be without some of their starting player for the third round tie.
There are currently nine of Liverpool’s players who are out due to injury. Obviously there are some long-term with others expected to be out for just two to three games.
Both Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas will miss out on the clash due to the injuries they suffered earlier in the season.
The pair have, however, been pictured in training would could mean a return is soon on the cards.
Joel Matip has also been ruled out for the rest of the season due to the ACL injury he gained against the Cottagers last month.
The Spanish duo of Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic are both also still out after the injuries they suffered last year are still keeping them out of the first-team.
Teen sensation Ben Doak has also recently been ruled out after sustaining a knee injury which requires surgery.
Lastly, the newest player to arrive at Liverpool’s injury table is that of Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Hungary international seemingly pulled up during his last game with something of a hamstring issue.
Although the injury isn’t serious, the midfielder will miss out on the Arsenal clash. Klopp shared this with the media earlier this week.
Potential starting line-ups for each side;
Both Arsenal and Liverpool could rotate their sides in order to focus on the Premier League.
However, as neither side are currently running away with the Premier League title, they could start strong teams in order to win the domestic competition.
Meaning, Gunners’ line-up could look something like this;
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Whereas, Liverpool’s could end up being like this;
Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez; Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister; Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez.
However the match plays out on Sunday, it is likely to be thriller.