“This club exists to win trophies” | ARSENAL vs LIVERPOOL | Match Build-up

The FA Cup 3rd round is upon us, as fans up and down the country dare to dream of a sunny day in Wembley come May. Fortunately, Liverpool fans do not have to dream. The Mighty Reds have been there and done it before but our first task is not going to be easy. On one level, it amuses me that either Maidstone United or Stevenage will make it further than Arsenal or indeed us. But that is, quite precisely, the magic of the FA Cup.

A trip to North London and to the Emirates stadium is the task at hand. The home side, whilst the bookies favourite, are winless in three games and have seemingly went from a title race to a top four race within just one week. But, they do have a reason for optimism. We are without Mohamed Salah for the first time this season. Alongside Endo, the pair are set to miss a number of games due to the AFCON and also the Asian Cup. The gunners do not lose anyone in this period.

But aside from our absences, I am quietly confident about our chances in this contest. Whilst I do not believe Arsenal have turned into a bad side overnight, I would say they have dipped ever so slightly and it is a good time to be playing them. They have appeared chaotic and wreckless in defence and toothless in attack. The form that their star players hit last term has not been rediscovered this season.

We also have started to find form. Diogo Jota’s return has come precisely at the right time with his tremendous record against the gunners and he makes me ever so slightly less concerned about Salah’s absence. The Newcastle game on Monday, you could argue the best we have played in an attacking sense under Jurgen Klopp. And the stats back that up. We registered the highest ever xG in Premier League history and without Dubravka’s excellence on that night it would have been ten.

But in the FA Cup anything can and does happen. Over the years, there have been many shocks and twists and turns leaving a prediction hard to come by. My assessment would be that just like the league meeting two weeks ago I anticipate a tentative start. Both sides feeling each other out and almost respecting one another as it is blatantly obvious both sides can hurt you at any given time. Surely a close affair is on the cards with maybe one goal being the difference.

As for the Reds’ team selection, the cup brings about an opportunity for the fringe players to have a chance regardless of opposition. The team I would play would be Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Gomez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones, Elliott, Jota, Diaz.

With the likes of Nunez and Gakpo to change the game from the bench if needed.

As for a score prediction, I am never going to predict a negative result for the first match build-up on the opinion. In the words of the great man, “Liverpool Football Club exists to win trophies”.

Score prediction: ARSENAL 1-2 LIVERPOOL

And so there you go, the first written piece for the opinion. Please be so kind to leave your thoughts going into this massive game in the comments on the post. Have a great weekend, up the Reds.