Just days after the two teams faced each other in the Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool will lock horns yet again at Anfield, this time in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The Premier League champions won the league game 3-1 but did not have it all their way and were troubled by the Gunners on a few occasions.
The north London side defeated Leicester City in the third round of the EFL Cup, while Liverpool had a much easier fixture against Lincoln City.
Arsenal will look for a bit of revenge as they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by the Merseyside outfit last season, when they lost the game on penalties after it finished 5-5 in normal time.
Arsenal Team News
Defenders Shkodran Mustafi, Pablo Mari, and Calum Chambers will miss the game due to injuries, but Sokratis could return, as he is now back in training.
Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli will also miss the game. Cedric Soares could return to the Arsenal squad to feature for the first time since his Community Shield appearance, but he might not make the starting XI.
Let’s take a look at the possible Arsenal lineup for the game against Liverpool in the EFL Cup.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Liverpool
Goalkeeper
Bernd Leno should start for the Gunners in goal, ahead of Matt Macey and Runar Alex Runarsson.
Defence
Manager Mikel Arteta could make a few changes at the back. Gabriel could come into the Arsenal lineup in place of David Luiz, while Sead Kolasinac could play on the left as part of the back three.
William Saliba is an option for the Gunners manager, but he could stick to Rob Holding as the right-sided centre-back.
If Cedric Soares is fit, Arteta could give him some playing time as the right wing-back, but if he fails to pass a late fitness test, Ainsley Maitland-Niles should play on the right. Bukayo Saka should play on the opposite side as the left wing-back for the Gunners.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny played in midfield in the league game, but we could see one of them drop out. Dani Ceballos could start for the Gunners against Liverpool, with Elneny dropping out of the starting XI. The other option that Arteta has in the middle of the park is young midfielder Joe Willock.
Ceballos came on in the second half in the league game against Liverpool and changed the game, as he sliced open the Liverpool defence with some good through passes. The Spaniard will hope for a similar impact later tonight.
Attack
Eddie Nketiah should start as the central striker for the Gunners, with Nicolas Pepe playing on the right flank. Reiss Nelson could start for the Gunners on the opposite flank. The Arsenal attack will have the opportunities against what could be a much-changed Liverpool defence.