The mindset of the two teams
Premier League champions Liverpool will host their direct competitor Arsenal at Anfield. This great battle gives both teams the opportunity to affirm their position in the 2025-2026 Premier League championship race.
This is also the earliest meeting between the two teams at the top of the previous season since 2017-2018, when Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-1 in round 2.
Both Liverpool and Arsenal won all of their first two rounds, along with Tottenham. That means at least one of the two "big guys" will lose their winning streak this weekend.
The last four encounters between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in all competitions have been unbeaten. The last time they won or lost was in November 2021, when Liverpool crushed their opponents 4-0 in the Premier League.
Since then, the series of confrontations at Anfield between the two teams has continuously ended with a draw: 0-0 in the first leg of the Carabao Cup 2022 semi-final, followed by 3 consecutive matches in the Premier League with scores of 2-2, 1-1 and 2-2. Notably, last season, Arsenal made a spectacular comeback from being behind 0-2 to keep 1 point, even though Liverpool had won the championship early at that time.
In fact, the "Red Brigade" often enjoyed the joy of being a guest at the Emirates. Their last 3 wins against Arsenal in all competitions have taken place in north London.
In contrast, in the Premier League, The Kop are going through a 6-match winless streak against Arsenal (4 draws, 2 losses) - the longest since October 2007 to April 2011.
However, the balance is leaning towards Liverpool when returning to Anfield. Arsenal have not won here for nearly 13 years, drawing 5 and losing 7 of their last 12 trips. The last time they won the championship was with a score of 2-0 in September 2012 - when Mikel Arteta was still a player.
In that context, the victory will be a key moment for both, although the season is only in the early stages. However, if we look at the recent history of confrontations, another draw may not be a surprising scenario.
Is Arsenal's strongest point Liverpool's weakest point?
Arsenal are currently one of the most disadvantaged teams in the Premier League in set-piece situations. Since the start of last season, they have scored 18 goals from dead balls, the highest tally in the league against Nottingham Forest. This season alone, 3/6 of Arsenal's goals have come from corners - a clear testament to their sharpness in fixed stages.
Since the start of the 2023-2024 season, Arsenal have scored 33 goals from corners in the Premier League - more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues. They have also scored from corners in 3 consecutive matches, and will set a record if they extend this number at Anfield.
Meanwhile, Liverpool continued to show fragility in set pieces. In the 3-2 win over Newcastle, they conceded two goals, including a late goal by William Osula despite having just 10 men left. Since the start of last season, only five teams in the Premier League have conceded more goals from dead balls than the defending champions (11).
The question is: can Arsenal's fixed strength make a difference at Anfield?
However, it should be noted that only Arsenal (88) and Manchester City (87) have faced fewer shots from set pieces than Liverpool (110) in the same period. In addition, only three Premier League teams have lower expected goals conceded (xG) from the dead than Liverpool (9.6).
This shows that their number of goals conceded can come from many factors and even bad luck in decisive moments, instead of due to poor defensive ability.
On the other hand, Arsenal have also conceded 14 goals from set pieces in the same period - more than Liverpool.
Overall, Liverpool's defence has not been really solid in the first few matches of the season and they will have to be especially vigilant against Arsenal.
