Chris Sutton has cited one factor which he believes could give Liverpool an ‘edge’ in their Premier League showdown against Arsenal on Saturday.
The division’s current top two go head-to-head at Anfield this weekend, with the winner set to be at the summit on Christmas Day.
Jurgen Klopp’s side saw their perfect home record this season extinguished by Manchester United last Sunday, but while the Red Devils played for a goalless draw and got it, ex-Blackburn striker Sutton believes that the Reds’ attack won’t be shut out for a second top-flight match in a row on their own turf.
In his weekend predictions for BBC Sport, the 50-year-old wrote: “Arsenal will be bolder than Manchester United were at Anfield last week, but then Sheffield United would probably show more attacking intent than Erik ten Hag’s side did.
“I still think it will be pretty cagey because the Gunners are not as expansive as they were last season, but they still carry a threat. There is this argument that they are lacking a centre-forward, which I get, but they have shown they can get goals from all areas of their team.
“I think this will be tight, but Liverpool are at home and I just don’t see them drawing another blank. They only know one way to play, they will take the game to Arsenal – and I think they will edge it.”
Sutton went for the Reds to triumph 2-1 over Mikel Arteta’s side.
Despite Jurgen Klopp’s grievances last night about the subdued atmosphere at Anfield during Liverpool’s 5-1 win over West Ham in the Carabao Cup, the Reds’ home record in the Premier League under the German has been imperious.
Aside from a freakish six-match losing sequence in early 2021, when fans were locked out of stadia during the global pandemic, LFC have only been beaten once at their ground in the top flight since April 2017, when Leeds pinched a 2-1 victory last season.
Arsenal were on course to join the Whites in that exclusive club last April before a Liverpool fightback from two goals down saw them earn a draw and set in motion a collapse which cost the Gunners their shot at title glory.
Arteta’s team will surely show more attacking ambition than United did on Sunday, and that could play into our hands if our attackers are as ruthless as they were against West Ham.
The Anfield factor is an intangible one, but the north Londoners may still carry psychological baggage from letting victory slip on their previous visit to Merseyside eight months ago, and on Saturday they’ll be up against a far stronger Reds team than what they faced at Easter.
Here’s hoping Sutton’s prediction will prove to be spot-on!
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