Arsenal vs Liverpool: How to watch, stats, news, injuries - ESPN

24 Oct 2024

ESPN

Oct 24, 2024, 02:55 AM ET

Arsenal's Emirates Stadium will play host to a heavyweight clash on Sunday as Arne Slot's high-flying Liverpool team head to north London looking to claim a victory at the home of one of their Premier League title rivals.

Mikel Arteta's side lost ground in the race for the title in a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth following William Saliba's first-half red card, while Liverpool are making the trip to the capital off the back of an impressive 2-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield that caused many to talk up Slot's side's credentials.

Here's everything you need to know, including team news, stats, fantasy tips and the latest news:

Key details:

Date: Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4.30 p.m. BST (11.30 a.m. ET)

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Referee: Anthony Taylor

VAR: Michael Salisbury

How to watch:

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and NBC Sports in the United States. You can also follow along with ESPN's live updates.

Team news:

Arsenal

If Arsenal are to get back on track with a win over Liverpool, they will have to do so without Saliba, arguably their most important defender. The France international will watch Sunday's game from the stands as he serves a one-match ban for the red card he was shown in the defeat at Bournemouth.

Arteta is dealing with several fitness concerns ahead of Sunday's clash, chief of which is Bukayo Saka's recovery from the hamstring injury that saw him limp off during England's Nations League loss to Greece on earlier this month and subsequently miss the trip to Bournemouth.

There had been optimism at Arsenal that Saka would be fit for the trip to the Vitality Stadium, with Arteta saying on Friday that Saka was recovering well. However, Saka was not named among the Arsenal squad on the south coast, and, speaking on Tuesday after their Champions League win against Shakhtar Donestk, Arteta said the forward still had not trained and was "unlikely" to be healthy enough to feature on Sunday.

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Arteta: Arsenal need to eradicate red cards

Mikel Arteta speaks about whether Arsenal's discipline is a problem.

Riccardo Calafiori was a casualty of Tuesday's Champions League victory, going down with an apparent knee injury in the second half of Tuesday's game. Arteta said afterwards: "I don't know the extent of it [Calafiori's injury] so in that sense not great news. He could not continue playing so, a bit of a worry."

Martin Ødegaard could make his first appearance since he damaged ankle ligaments playing for Norway during September's international break, with Arteta hinting before the Bournemouth game that the Arsenal captain has a chance of making his return against Liverpool.

Jurriën Timber may also be available for selection after recovering from an injury that has kept him out since Oct. 1, but Liverpool's visit will likely come to soon for fellow defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney.

Liverpool

Slot is also having to cope without some of his key players. Diogo Jota was replaced by Darwin Núñez after just 30 minutes of the game against Chelsea, and Slot ruled the Portugal forward out of the team's midweek trip to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Liverpool.

New recruit Federico Chiesa has missed Liverpool's last four matches with an undisclosed injury. The winger has played just 18 minutes in the Premier League since arriving from Juventus in the summer.

However, there is better news for Harvey Elliott, with the midfielder nearing a return to full fitness after spending nearly two months out with a fractured foot.

Fantasy watch:

With just three goals conceded so far this season, having a Liverpool defender in your team is a must -- three of the top four highest points-scoring defenders so far this season are in Slot's backline.

If you have the spare funds to select Trent Alexander-Arnold, as 30.5% of fantasy managers have, then it is a win-win scenario. But if money is tight, then a move for any one of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté or Andy Robertson could be rewarded come Sunday evening.

Alternatively, a cheap and potentially fruitful move could be to pick up Declan Rice. The Arsenal midfielder costs just £6.3 million in the game and has been on corner duty for Arteta's side in Saka's absence.

Arsenal scored at least four more goals from corners (16) than any other team last season, and no club can better their three goals from them during this campaign, either. Combine Rice with the imposing figure of Gabriel Magalhães and you could start climbing up fantasy league tables.

Beware, though, Liverpool have not conceded from a set piece in the league so far this season.

Stats:

Mohamed Salah has scored 10 goals in 16 career games against Arsenal (one with Chelsea, nine with Liverpool). Salah's total of nine goals in Liverpool-Arsenal matches is bettered only by Robbie Fowler (12), Roberto Firmino (11) and Joe Hulme (10). The only players with more career Premier League goals against Arsenal than Salah's 10 are Harry Kane (14), Wayne Rooney (12), Firmino (11) and Jamie Vardy (11).

Liverpool have conceded just three goals in the Premier League this season, half as many as the division's next-best defence (Nottingham Forest -- 6).

The Merseyside club are yet to concede from a set piece in the Premier League this season (neither have Brentford), while Arsenal's four goals scored from set pieces are tied for the most.

Liverpool have won 61.1% of their aerial duels in the Premier League this season -- by far the best percentage by a team in 2024-25. Slot's team are on pace to be the most dominant team in the air since Stoke City won 60.9% of their aerial duels in the 2013-14 season.

With red cards being a theme for Arsenal recently, Arteta's side have a 5-3-4 (W-D-L) record in their last 12 games played without Saliba in all competitions. That includes a 2-2 draw at Liverpool on April 9, 2023.

Arsenal are creating an average of two fewer chances per game in the Premier League this season (11.5) than they did in 2023-24 (13.5) and have seen their average possession fall from 58.1% in 2023-24 to 49.4% in 2024-25.

Stats provided by ESPN's Stats and Information Group

Premier League form guide:

Arsenal - WDWWL

Arteta's team became the bookies' favourites to win the Premier League title after they drew 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium and Manchester City's Ballon d'Or-contending midfielder Rodri was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury. Wins over Leicester City and Southampton followed. However, Sunday's defeat at Bournemouth saw them drop into third place, with Liverpool maintaining their superb form and City picking up a last-gasp winner at Wolves.

It is important to note that the loss at the weekend was Arsenal's first since they were beaten in the second leg of last season's Champions League quarterfinal clash with Bayern Munich on April 24.

Liverpool - LWWWW

The Merseyside club have not broken stride since Arne Slot succeeded Jürgen Klopp as head coach in the summer. Liverpool have won seven of their eight Premier League matches, highlighted by wins over Manchester United and Chelsea.

Slot has opted to make only slight tweaks to Liverpool's style since taking over, and it is a policy that has seen his side lose only once -- against Nottingham Forest on Sept. 14.

Key player battle: Declan Rice vs. Ryan Gravenberch

The midfield battle will likely prove pivotal in Sunday's heavyweight clash. Rice has not quite hit top form so far this season, but without the security of Saliba behind him, the Arsenal midfielder will need to be at his best to break up Liverpool attacks at source. Arsenal smashed their transfer record in order to sign the England international so that he could prove the difference in exactly these types of matches.

While Rice's start to the season has been a little underwhelming, Ryan Gravenberch has been a revelation since being redeployed as a holding midfielder by Slot. Liverpool reportedly tried to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi to shore up the middle of the pitch, but their failure to sign the Spaniard forced them to search for answers within their own squad.

Gravenberch's ability to break up play and provide a calming presence in the centre of the pitch has been one of the reasons behind Liverpool's excellent start to the campaign.

Key questions:

Can Arsenal maintain their discipline?

Saliba's red card in the defeat to Bournemouth was the third shown to an Arsenal player already this season, raising concerns over whether the side has a discipline issue that could derail their chances of lifting silverware come May.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the three matches in which an Arsenal player has seen red this season also happen to be the three matches they have failed to win (Rice vs. Brighton, Leandro Trossard vs. City). Arteta has said his team must "eradicate" the ill-discipline that has seen them drop seven points from their opening seven league games.

Are Liverpool true title contenders?

Despite Liverpool's commanding start under Slot, many have pointed to the relative ease of their fixture schedule in the early part of the season. The win over Chelsea at the weekend has helped change the narrative about their title credentials, but an away victory at Arsenal would surely dispel any lingering doubts.

The timing of their visit with Saliba absent from the Arsenal backline may be fortuitous, but Arteta's team still present the biggest test of Slot's new-look Liverpool.