TLW picks the team v Arsenal

[Paco]

Pick your starting 11

 

Pick your formation

 

Liverpool's Mario Balotelli serves a one-match ban for breaking Football Association rules on social media.

Defender Dejan Lovren is a doubt, while Daniel Sturridge and Glen Johnson remain out.

Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nacho Monreal and Theo Walcott all face fitness tests. 

Calum Chambers is back from suspension, but midfielder Aaron Ramsey could miss all of the Gunners' Christmas fixtures with a hamstring injury. 

MATCH PREVIEW

Three FA Cup finals, a League Cup final, a Champions League quarter-final and that dramatic title decider in 1989 - there's almost always been something 'up for grabs now' when the mighty footballing institutions that are Liverpool and Arsenal meet. 

But now, the weighty importance, the shimmer of promised silverware, the sense of greatness that has been part and parcel of this fixture on so many occasions since they first met 121 years ago is sadly lacking. 

Like two much-diminished old actors trying to reprise a role that once had audiences enraptured and made them household names, they'll enter the stage wishing the world still hung on their every line. 

Lawro's prediction

"If Arsenal win, they move eight points clear of Liverpool, which would be a big statement, while a Reds win would reduce the gap to just two points. Basically it is a game Liverpool cannot afford to lose."

Predictions: Lawro v Olly Murs

The truth is that in the race to be champions of England this game, at this time, is no more relevant than one between, say, Stoke and Swansea. 

That's not to say that it won't be passionate, exciting, committed and entertaining; it should be. It's just that what's at stake now is trying to catch West Ham in fourth and keeping the fans off the managers' backs.

Liverpool's win at Bournemouth in midweek was almost a surprise, certainly the ease of it. 

At Old Trafford three days earlier Brendan Rodgers's idea of ditching his goalkeeper, abandoning a back four and playing Raheem Sterling up front, had looked like the kind of decision a bold lemming might make when teetering on the edge of a cliff; at Bournemouth it began to look like a plan. 

Still, convincing the Kop to look ahead with confidence will be difficult, especially on this match day. Inevitable comparisons with the side which savaged Arsenal to a pulp in the first 20 minutes at Anfield last season will surely do the current crop no favours. 

Arsenal went into that match on top of the Premier League, whilst for Liverpool it was the first of 11 consecutive league wins. 

That was just ten months ago. It feels like ancient history. 

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Liverpool won this fixture 5-1 last season thanks to two goals each from Martin Skrtel and Raheem Sterling and one from Luis Suarez. Four of those goals came in the first 20 minutes.
• That was only Liverpool's second win over Arsenal in their last 14 Premier League meetings.
• Arsenal won the other two matches they played against Liverpool last season - 2-0 in the league and 2-1 in the FA Cup fifth round, both at the Emirates.
• Liverpool v Arsenal has seen more hat-tricks (five) than any other fixture in Premier League history.
• There have been four 90th minute or later goals in the last six league meetings between the sides at Anfield.

Liverpool

• Liverpool's midweek win over Bournemouth was only their third in their last 11 games in all competitions. 
• The Reds have failed to score in five league games this season, two more than in the whole of last season.
• Based on three points for a win, Liverpool's tally of 21 points is their lowest after 16 games since 1964-65. 
• Mario Balotelli has had more shots (42 - including blocked) than any other player yet to score in the top flight this season.

Arsenal

• After drawing five of their first eight league games, Arsenal have drawn none of their subsequent eight (W5 L3).
• They have only lost one of their last six matches in all competitions.
• The Gunners have only failed to score in one league game this season.
• Alexis Sanchez has scored (seven) or assisted (four) 11 of Arsenal's last 17 league goals (65%).

[an tha]

This is a must win in my opinion.

 

We are 10 points off 4th, a big gap and a problem. That alone is bad enough but it's more of a problem the amount of teams we are behind.

 

Pulling a big gap back on 1 or 2 isn't so difficult but doing so on 3 or 4 is.

 

Lose tomorrow and we are looking at.

 

11 behind Man Utd

10 behind West Ham

8 behind Arsenal

8 behind Southampton

6 behind Tottenham

 

In effect Chelsea and Man City are away and gone so you are looking at being 2nd in that group to make top 4, we aren't even above Swansea, Newcastle and the bitters let alone 2nd best in that lot.

 

We would also be just 6 points above the bottom 3. With less teams between us and that than us and the top 4.

 

If it isn't a must win, then it's an absolute must not lose at the very least.

 

I'd go with the team against Bournemouth but with Sakho in for Lovren and Jones replaced by Mignolet (of course we know that won't happen)

[Paco]

a run of wins is desperately needed

[Gnasher]

Did i read the name "Olly Murs" in the opening post?

[Guest davelfc]

Well I just can't see us winning today, sad that it is to say as I've got to sit there in the freezing cold and endure that. 

 

Back from beating up the biggest bully in the primary school, we're now back on our level and far from the best fighter in our own class. Arsenal will score, almost everyone does against us and we won't score enough to win.

 

We seem to shoot ourselves in the foot at almost every transfer window and hand the manager a read made excuse. I'm not suggesting it's that simple of course as none of us know what goes on behind the scenes.

 

Having said all of that, we desperately need the points, unless the lower teams are going to score own goals against us or get their best players sent off, we'll struggle if we're dragged close to the teams at the bottom. They may be crap but they can scrap, our multi millionaires cannot.

 

Let's build on the recent performances, bury those chances and get a result today, please.

[thompsonsnose]

--------------Ming

Manq Kolo Sahko Moreno

------------ --Can

Sterling Gerrard Lallana Markovic

-------------Lambert

[Hand Shandy]

We'll get snotted.

[Paco]

interesting how many would go with 4231 given that we ve played our worst football using that formation.

 

343 for me and if we go down we go down blazing

[Dr. J]

I wouldn't have Gerrard out there under any conditions - three games in seven days means he wouldn't break out of a walk. We'll need runners today, whatever the formation.

 

Which I think will be exactly the same as against Bournemouth. It's a must not lose, for sure.

[Tony Moanero]

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[Oh Buoy]

Can and Marko to start for me. Play them into form.

[Pan77]

If Rogers sticks to the same formation as the last couple of games we'll probably play quite well but still lose. This is preferable to the other formations which result in us playing shit and losing.

[magicrat]

He's going to pick Jones ,Johnson and Allen isn't he.

Shakes head

[Oh Buoy]

Think I'm going to try a new place to watch the game. Anyone got any recommendations in town?

[Paco]

He's going to pick Jones ,Johnson and Allen isn't he.

Shakes head

picking an injured johnson would be the final straw

[billypilgrimnz]

Can and Marko to start for me. Play them into form.

 

Can has to play to be able to have form to judge.

[magicrat]

picking an injured johnson would be the final straw

Doh

[billypilgrimnz]

Shouldn't Twitter have leaked the team long before now? What's going on?

[Rotpeter]

Shouldn't Twitter have leaked the team long before now? What's going on?

They switched up to camouflage bibs I heard.

[El Rojo]

Shouldn't Twitter have leaked the team long before now? What's going on?

Rodgers forgot his login details.

[Ginny]

I've heard Lazar starts.

[cloggypop]

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I think 3-4-3 is more likely myself.

[Anubis]

 

"Who's Number One? Who? Say it. Say it or you're not getting the ball."

[Allan]

Confirmed #LFC starting line-up v @Arsenal: Jones, Toure, Skrtel, Sakho, Lucas, Henderson, Markovic, Coutinho, Gerrard, Lallana, Sterling

 

Confirmed #LFC subs v @Arsenal: Mignolet, Enrique, Lambert, Moreno, Manquillo, Can, Borini

[Allan]

#Arsenal team v Liverpool: Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Chambers, Gibbs, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Alexis, Giroud, Welbeck

 

#Arsenal subs: Martinez, Monreal, Coquelin, Maitland-Niles, Campbell, Walcott, Podolski