Arsenal take on Liverpool at the Emirates this evening, as the Interlull recedes into the distance and the real football begins again.
Here are tonight’s official line-ups.
Arsenal: Leno, Chambers, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Ceballos, Pepe, Odegaard, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Subs: Ryan, Bellerin, Cedric, Mari, Elneny, Nelson, Willian, Martinelli, Nketiah
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Kabak, Robertson, Fabinho, Thiago, Milner, Mane, Salah, Firmino
Subs: Adrian, Wijnaldum, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Jota, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Williams
YES!!! We back again!!!
#COYG!!!
Really interested to see Partey Ceballos. Incredible this is the first time Arteta’s tried it. I’ve been calling for it from day one as like it or not this is our most technical midfield. Hopefully a glimpse into a post-Xhaka era.
Let’s not do this pairing again. Send Ceballos back to Madrid and move on.
Carry Out Your Gameplan
Let’s do this!
Our front line should be rubbing their hands and licking their their lips with the liverpool center backs picked today.
COYG!!! Looks like a strong enough line up, if everyone is on top of their game that is.
Hope Holding has a cracker, and the front three is sharp and efficient!
Come on boys!
Yes, a strong line up, also provides an opportunity to have some fresh players for Thursday. Even though we don’t have much to play for in the league, hope we smash the champions from last season.
I’d say this squad should be fresh enough, bar a few that went away. Someone like Partey who went, hadn’t played too much so should be ok. It’s always a confidence booster to beat the champs, no matter how they’re doing this season. We can use the confidence going into crucial stages of Europa.
If that defence could work it’d be amazing for the future. Holding and Chambers have been players I’ve wanted to succeed for years, but this line-up worries me. Just get through the first 20 and we have a chance, lads!
Agreed. Faith in Chambers is positive but he will need to be sharp to cope with Mane. I imagine Scousers will try to force Tierney back but we need him forwards
7 years he’s been at the club. I always liked him and Holding too. Think Holding edges it for me. But at 25 and 26, both right footed and with Saliba there, one of them I think is gonna have to go. A selection of Mari and Gabriel left and Holding and Saliba for the right (Luiz maybe) is good enough I think.
Either way, I hope they all have a cracking game tonight! COYG!!!
Pretty sure Chambers will have a nightmare today. Bellerin and Cedric are better suited to deal with mane’s trickery
Not sure about that tbh man, maybe when it comes to speed. But Chambers is the better defender (not RB) I think . If he can get his positioning right and be sharp and focused he should be alright. Also its not the Mane from last year.
In the end we have to do it as a team.
Let’s just try and not concede an early goal. That’s really been our downfall this calendar year.
So glad pepe > willian. COYG I’ve got a good feeling about this one!
There will be a Nelson sighting on the bench today. Don’t understand why Chambers is the first choice RB now ahead of Cedric and Bellerin.
Weakest bench for a while but few injuries so expected. Hopefully see martinelli at some point.
Auba out left and Pepe other side is soooo so limiting and predictable…I’m worried…Saka and ESR provide so much freshness and inventive runs/play.
Yeah, but they’re injured bud.
Agreed. Hope Laca produces another special performance against Klop’s men at the Emirates.
Might be Pepe left and Auba right….
So tired of seeing Aubameyang on the left. The team had just started to gel with him at CF and it’s back to this again.. not good enough.
I would start with Martinelli, but hope to at least see him playing tonight
on the other hand, it will be good to FINALLY see Ceballos and Partey playing together
Unfortunate that we are missing our two academy graduate through injury. Decent line up given the circumstances, but am a bit worried about the pace of Chambers against Liverpool’s pace forwards. Despite having had a solid game against the Hammers, it would have been understandable to leave him out of the 11 in favour of Cedric, just for this game
Chambers will have his hands full with Mane. Guys like him and Holding and Ceballos need to over-perform to give us the best chance to win. COYG!
Would have preferred Elneny to Ceballos.
Let’s do the bin-dippers
Chambers Vs Mane is an obvious mismatch.
Hopefully Holding can help with some demolition skills 😉
Nice of Liverpool to play a 47 year old man in midfield today
IMHO he is better than Xhaka who is our 1st option midfielder
It’s interesting to see that Bellerin can’t get a game and even cedric is out, both more natural RBs than Chambers. And Mikel picks Chambers. Wouldn’t say this could happen just a few weeks ago. I’m happy for Chambers to get chances though.
Time to unleash Reiss Nelson off the bench. Liverpool haven’t been the same after he bodied them last season
Lol in no world is Ceballos better than Xhaka. A talented guy but plays like a headless chicken most of the time.
Whole team look like headless chickens.
You’d do well to give any player over 5/10 right now.
When are we going to realise that Pepe – target man is like Holding – explosive pace?
When will we realise auba anywhere but up top is a hinderance.
Bull looks like we lost KT probably for a few weeks or worse 😢
HT. Not in it, are they? unwatchable… just like vs Man C
Having Aubameyang and Lacazette on the pitch together really restricts the creativity on the left side. Martinelli for one of them would be a big improvement.
We are dross.
The tactics are all wrong for this particular match. Abameyang is just a passenger on the wing unless it is bottom of the table opposition.
Yep. Sick to death of watching him on the wing. Every one knows it doesn’t work, so why not try something different?!
So boring and predictable and the manager doesn’t appear to be learning.
up front also doesnt work.. so??
What is the point of sitting deep and letting them walk all over you if you have no game plan to build a counter attack. Auba will not win any balls in the air. Another bollocks game under Arteta with donkey tactics. Fking how much longer is he going to get?
For me he’s got until Christmas. Another window to try and get rid of the dross And hopefully build on our better performances since Chelsea.
Not that hopeful though.
Looks like Klopp outsmarted Arteta tactically in a huge way. Simply put, he trapped Ødegard in the middle and invited Arsenal to try to attack on the flanks knowing they cannot beat Liverpool press and will play themselves into trouble playing out from the back. I’m sorry but Arteta is getting too predictable.
Liverpool deserve to win, sorry to say that
It should be 4 or 5
It was supposed to 9 finals, looks we are lose a few if we play this way or for that matter, if we don’t play the youngsters including Martinelli.
It’s silly that Martinelli isn’t playing, it’s not like we are a long winning run!
Nothing new, another dire perfomance.
Wondering if Arteta can get this same Liverpool team to play as they are playing now
Doubt it, and don’t take me wrong, I’m sure one day Arteta will make a fine manager, but he has too many flaws to his management that I think hiring him at this stage of his career was silly. I think he makes a good coach (not spectacular but good, and there have been games when it shows), but still have a lot to learn. Isn’t the same being assistant manager for Pep than actually managing a team.