Paul Merson, a former midfielder for Arsenal, has made his prediction for the Gunners versus Liverpool FA Cup third round match on Sunday afternoon.
As of right now, Jurgen Klopp’s team is leading the Premier League. They moved three points clear of Newcastle after winning an exciting match on New Year’s Day. Even though Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal the lead early on, the team lost to Fulham on the road for the second straight game and dropped to fourth in the standings.
However, both teams will be buoyed by their most recent meeting, which took place at Anfield last month. Usually seen as a graveyard for Gunners performances in recent years, Mikel Arteta’s team won a point on Merseyside to guarantee their position at the top at Christmas.
However, with a number of players heading to the Asia Cup and the AFCON event, both teams will appear somewhat different, which Merson thinks may affect the tie.
“Everyone rests players for the cup games, but it could be a different story when two Top Six teams play each other,” he said to Sportskeeda.
Wataru Endo and Mohamed Salah will be absent for Liverpool in this match, which could pose a serious problem for manager Jurgen Klopp. Diogo Jota is a respectable player who should step into the right-wing position in Salah’s absence, but the Egyptian is on a different level, so they are large shoes to fill.
With a strong roster and a strong chance of winning the AFCON, Salah may miss four to five weeks of action for Liverpool. However, since this is a cup fixture, it’s not really a game they would be concerned about. But Salah’s absence will be felt more when Liverpool plays vital Premier League matches against teams like Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
“The Reds are unlikely to start all of their star players for this match because they also have a Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham coming up. I think Arsenal will win since they are playing at home against a Liverpool squad without Salah.”
Even though it would require a replay, former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton thinks Liverpool will advance to the competition’s fourth round. “As with every other tie, I really don’t know what sort of team Arsenal or Liverpool will put out,” Sutton told the BBC.
“Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta have rotated their teams a lot in the FA Cup in past years. However, I have a suspicion that this one will end in a draw, which is what neither manager wants.”
Sutton’s prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Liverpool to win the replay).
