Venue: Anfield
Date: 03/03/12
Kick-Off: 12:45pm
THE race for fourth place hots up on Saturday when the lunchtime kick-off sees recent Carling Cup winners Liverpool take on Arsenal, fresh from a confidence-boosting 5-2 comeback win over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Confidence will be high in both camps off the back of two different but equally important victories. Arsenal, now slight favourites over Chelsea for that coveted fourth place, know that victory over Liverpool will surely signal the end of the Reds challenge for a Champions League place, whilst at the same time strengthening their own position. On the other hand, a Liverpool win would mean that Kenny Dalglish’s team would be well on course for a fight for fourth.
Last time these two met, Liverpool came away with an excellent early season 2-0 win at the Emirates. This was Liverpool’s first league win at Arsenal for 11 years. The game was deadlocked and fairly even until the 77th minute, when Liverpool fortunately took the lead, Aaron Ramsey deflecting the ball into his own net. Luis Suarez tapped in a second late on to secure the points for the Reds.
Kenny Dalglish will be looking for a similar performance from the one at the Emirates and will be fully aware of the need for three points. Although the Scotsman might have to do it without captain Steven Gerrard, who picked up a knock on duty with England, and definitely without in-form central defender Daniel Agger, who broke a rib during his excursions in the gruelling Carling Cup final last Sunday. That said, Saturday gives Jamie Carragher a huge opportunity to force his way back into Dalglish’s first-team plans after finding himself on the bench for the majority of games this season. Other than Gerrard and Agger, not counting Lucas and his season-ending injury, Dalglish has a full squad to choose from.
The main theme to Saturday’s game will be centred around the race for fourth place, nevertheless Liverpool vs Arsenal has a rich history of producing some epic encounters, not least the 4-4 draw in April 2009 which effectively ended Liverpool’s title challenge in the 09/10 season. On that day Andrei Arshavin, no longer with Arsenal, caused all the problems with his 4-goal haul.
As for the threat that Arsenal pose on Saturday, there is only one player that you could consider as Arsenal’s number one dangerman. Captain Robin Van Persie has been in outstanding form this season, netting 29 goals in 35 games this campaign. Whether it is Skrtel or Carragher assigned to man mark the Dutchman, either defender will have a massive task on their hands to keep the hitman quiet. Other than Van Persie, ex-Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta is a potential danger with his intelligence and creativity often a catalyst for Arsenal’s attacking play this season.
An exciting game ahead, one which has promise for action, goals and plenty of talking points. As we look forward to yet another important game in Liverpool’s improving season, let’s hope we can look back on this with a smile on our faces and three points in the bag.
L4L Match Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
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