Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes that a raucous Anfield could help the Reds to ‘upset’ Arsenal this afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s side lie eighth in the Premier League as they play host to the table-topping Gunners, who are a full 29 points ahead of them but haven’t won a top-flight match at the venue since September 2012.
The teams’ respective positions and form would appear to make Mikel Arteta’s men firm favourites for many neutral observers today, although one pundit isn’t ruling out the Merseysiders’ chances of pulling off a result.
Speaking on BBC’s Football Focus, Warnock said: “At Anfield, I think with the crowd and the expectation, trying to upset Arsenal, trying to prove a point…
“There’s a lot of players with people saying that their futures are on the line for Liverpool. I don’t see it that way. I think they’re a little bit fatigued and lacking in confidence, but you’ve to go to Anfield and try to earn that result.
“It’s going to be a very difficult game. Form goes out the window in this one.”
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The 41-year-old makes a fair point about Liverpool at Anfield, where despite the Reds’ struggles this season, they’ve actually had a good record.
Based on home results only, Jurgen Klopp’s team would be fifth in the Premier League table, with 30 points from 13 matches (nine wins, three draws and just one defeat, via Transfermarkt).
The three teams immediately behind Arsenal have all lost at the venue, with Manchester United shipping a 7-0 defeat five weeks ago.
Also, Arteta’s side have had some chastening experiences on Merseyside, losing 4-0 in this fixture last term; while there is arguably bigger pressure on them to get a result today as they try to fend off the challenge of Manchester City, who closed to within five points of them yesterday.
This afternoon’s match represents a perfect chance for Liverpool to make a statement to their critics and show that, for all the woes of the past few weeks and months, this team still has a kick and won’t obligingly roll over against title-chasing opponents.