Arsenal v Liverpool

KO: 12:45
Venue: Anfield


TEAM NEWS

Liverpool remain without injured defenders Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger, although both are expected to return to full training next week.
Mamadou Sakho, Jose Enrique and Lucas Leiva are also ruled out.
Arsenal will assess midfielder Jack Wilshere, who is nearing a comeback from an ankle injury.
Mathieu Flamini serves the second game of a four-match ban, but Mikel Arteta is fit despite limping towards the end of the win against Crystal Palace.
MATCH PREVIEW

Having last month maintained that Liverpool would "never give up the fight" for the Premier League title, Brendan Rodgers has now conceded that his team's aim this season is to make the "big jump into the top four".
With Everton and Tottenham snapping at their heels and Manchester United not far behind that's still a tough assignment, but one that Liverpool have suggested all season that they can manage.
LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Mark Lawrenson
Football analyst
"Liverpool are fourth and if they want to stay there they will have to get something out of their games with the teams above and around them, especially because Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea will all come to Anfield in March and April.

"This is a key period for Arsenal too, because they go to Old Trafford on Wednesday night, and will need to pick up some points there."

Read Lawro's full prediction and score
It does appear to be the Reds' level right now too - they have beaten all of their immediate rivals for fourth, yet failed to earn a point against the three teams above them.
That includes Arsenal of course - the only team to have prevented both Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge from scoring in the last 12 league games they've played together.
Indeed, Liverpool's 2-0 defeat at the Emirates on 2 November was the last game the team failed to score in at all. In 16 matches played since they've racked up 45 goals - 24 of those from 'the SAS'.
Arsenal aren't quite so prolific, but they are proving relentlessly consistent (as two goals in each of their last five league games testifies), and the title challenge many maintain will 'blow-up' is still looking strong.
The squad is dovetailing nicely too - as one player drops out another comes in to replace them almost seamlessly. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's return to coincide with Theo Walcott's injury is a case in point, although we still haven't found out the answer to the oft-cried question 'what happens when Olivier Giroud gets injured?'
Now comes a huge spell of matches in the Gunners' season, with this followed by a four-game home run of Manchester United, Liverpool again (in the FA Cup), Bayern Munich and Sunderland. We should know in a fortnight's time whether Arsenal are 'blowing-up' or not!
Liverpool might not end up title winners themselves this season, but they could prove the difference in deciding who will be. Chelsea and Manchester City will be visiting Anfield in April.


Looks like its sent to be from the powers that be...most pundits are putting us down for the loss..I on the other hand think we can get a good result here..

A slim lead but a 2-1 to us...

I think we will get a draw and it's not the end of the world. I thought Flamini was serving a three match ban.

For fuck sake has anybody told the team the match has started...

What the fuck? I just got up, how come we're down 3-0? Where's our back 4? Do we not have one?!

This is fucking embarrassment.... 3 fucking nil are you kidding me!!! Even if we get back in this the damage is done......yet again....may the self destruction start.

All we have to do is keep the god dam ball...simple fucking logic....

4-0 I am off this is pathetic...

All we had to do was address the problems in the window......

All we should have done today was set up for a draw....

This is how a average Liverpool team have been made to look extraordinary..
And our team have shown the way to self destruction...


Fucking joke of a match.

I remember this Arsenal . Title pretenders.

The media slags will rip us a new one over this and pile on the preasure...

Michael Foster wrote:All we should have done today was set up for a draw....

yup, Wenger over-reaching again. Believing too much in his philisophy ? Not seeing the signs < not replacing Flamini>

What a clusterfuck

To be honest, Flamini wouldn't have made much of a difference... Ox looks lost, Monreal has had a shocker... First goal offside... But credit to Liverpool they have steamrolled our lads from the get-go. Let's see what the response is. We've read about Wenger losing it during and after important games, in the locker room. I know for sure that he will rip them a new one, Bould too... Where as Liverpool are showing signs of cockiness (and rightly so they have dominated), that's something to take advantage of...

Tbh Liverpool haven't played out of their skins either, its just been shocking defending from us. Hope we can come up with some kind of a response as unlikely as that seems. A couple of goals maybe and prevent this from turning into a complete annihilation..

Marko Maksimović wrote:To be honest, Flamini wouldn't have made much of a difference... Ox looks lost, Monreal has had a shocker... First goal offside... But credit to Liverpool they have steamrolled our lads from the get-go. Let's see what the response is. We've read about Wenger losing it during and after important games, in the locker room. I know for sure that he will rip them a new one, Bould too... Where as Liverpool are showing signs of cockiness (and rightly so they have dominated), that's something to take advantage of...

yup. Don't know what the 2nd half response will be , I hope we show up.

This is not the time for along term tactics discussion, but we have a team set up for patience, passing and possession. We don't counter attack well, especially without Theo. We don't have Suarez- haha. If we get blown put like this, we don't have a ready response, at the moment.

Mertesacker has been absolutely pathetic today..

Let's see how Wenger defends his transfer policy over this result.


It will be asked.

Should have had Gibbs and podolski on from the start....

Thing is how would have buying a striker or am helped us defensively? May be a dm could've but the cb partnership has faltered majorly today and that was a supposed strength..

Its laying out the show of force...a striker should have been a must..

And simply put signing a player who we knew was injured is madness..

Well got to write this pile of shit game off and move on....

I will say someone needs a word with oil to start justifying this 42 mil price tag...he has been in and out of games recently... Needs to find his Madrid form once more...