Advertisement

Liverpool Team News: Injuries, suspensions and line-up vs Arsenal

Liverpool head to north London on Friday looking to hand Arsenal a fourth straight league defeat in this fixture for the first time since May 1998.

Jurgen Klopp's side have been the dominant force in recent meetings, scoring at least three goals in each of their four top-flight matches against the Gunners during his time in charge.

With only a point separating the top-four rivals, the Merseysiders will want to ensure their command against Arsene Wenger's men continues on Friday evening.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will face his former club for the first time after switching the Emirates for Anfield in a £35 million summer move.

He was involved in their 4-0 defeat in the reverse fixture prior to transfer deadline day.



LIVERPOOL INJURIES






Joel Matip is back in training having recovered from an adductor injury. "It’s positive. I’m not sure if he’s ready for Arsenal, but [will be] for the games coming up then, I'm pretty sure," Klopp explained. 

HD Joel Matip
HD Joel Matip

There are a few knocks for the manager to monitor following the 4-0 victory at Bournemouth, while Daniel Sturridge is ill.

Alberto Moreno (ankle) and Nathaniel Clyne (back) remain sidelined.

On the former, Klopp added: “Unfortunately he is still not even on the pitch so that could still take a few weeks.”



SUSPENSIONS






Emre Can is available after serving a one-match ban for the totting up of yellow cards, while Dejan Lovren is a booking away from a suspension.

For Arsenal, Alexis Sanchez and Xhaka are also one caution off being in abeyance.



LIVERPOOL POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP






Adam Lallana made his comeback at Bournemouth and while he has no fitness issues, Klopp plans to gradually build up his sharpness.

“He’s back and that’s good but he needs to collect minutes now, we will see how we manage that," the Reds boss said.

"He’s not ready for three games, 90 minutes in a row, but he’s ready to help us in specific moments and hopefully we can build up his match fitness step by step because that’s the only thing he’s missing now."


Oxlade-Chamberlain will hope his dynamic showing at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday will convince Klopp to keep him in the XI. 

Sadio Mane should return having been rested over the weekend, while Can is available again.

A late decision will be made on Matip.

GFX Liverpool Possible XI v Arsenal
GFX Liverpool Possible XI v Arsenal



ARSENAL TEAM NEWS






Arsene Wenger has looked to Oliver Giroud in recent fixtures against Liverpool to go long and bypass their press, but the striker sustained a hamstring injury in their League Cup victory over West Ham.

"Nowadays you do the scan 48 hours after the injury. That will happen on Thursday, then we’ll have a precise kind of grade on what his hamstring is," the Gunners boss explained.

"When you listen to him, the pain is quite big, but the grade is not always linked with the intensity of the pain."

Francis Coquelin (cramp) is available as is Shkrodan Mustafi (thigh). Santi Cazorla (Achilles) remains a long-term absentee.

Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), meanwhile, will only return in January.

Olivier Giroud Arsenal West Ham League Cup
Olivier Giroud Arsenal West Ham League Cup

"They are a complete football team, they are able to do everything," Klopp noted of Friday's opponents at the Emirates.

"They can switch and change styles and against us it happened quite often that they played a lot of long balls with Giroud, but he cannot play and that will change a few things maybe, but they are able to create, they are able to play football and they have a strong side whoever will play.

“Since yesterday maybe we know a little bit more about the line-up [given their selection in the cup], so that means a lot of good, good footballers on the pitch.

"That means on the one hand side we have to defend them in the best way we can and on the other hand side of course it means that if there are any spaces, any gaps we can use, then we have to.

“I don’t know if there will be a lot of goals again, but we go there to perform and get as much as we can. We know that’s difficult but in this moment I feel as well that it’s possible and we should try.”



TV COVERAGE & KICK-OFF TIME






Kick off is at 19:45 BST (12:45 CT) and the match will be televised live on Sky Sports in the UK.



BEST OPTA MATCH FACTS






  • Sadio Mane has scored in each of his last three Premier League games against Arsenal, and only four players have previously scored in four consecutive PL games against the Gunners – Tomasz Radzinski and Peter Beardsley (four in a row) and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Harry Kane (five).

  • Roberto Firmino has been involved in six goals in five Premier League appearances against Arsenal (four goals, two assists) – however, the Brazilian has neither scored nor assisted in two matches at the Emirates.

  • Arsenal have won 13 of their last 14 Premier League games at the Emirates, losing the other against Manchester United (1-3) at the start of the month.