please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Arsenal take on Liverpool this weekend at Anfield as both teams go searching for their first wins of the season. Arsenal have yet to score a goal this season but they are also yet to concede one. The latest goalless draw for the Gunners was against Stoke at the Britannia stadium. It was dull affair as both teams failed to create enough clear cut chances. Arsenal had most of the possession but they lacked the cutting edge in the final third and Stoke held firm. At the other end, Arsenal displayed further improvements on their defence as they easily dealt with Stoke’s aerial threat. Arsenal’s form in front of goal will be a worry to Wenger and he always knew that replacing Van Persie goals was not an easy task. The new forwards, Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud need time to find their feet, but at a club like Arsenal the pressure and spot light is always on the players to perform. Liverpool like Arsenal have not got off to the best of starts but unlike Arsenal, their defence has not held up. They have let in five goals in two games and will hope for a better showing against the Gunners. Laurent Koscielny returns to the first team after recovering from a calf injury, but getting into the first team ahead of the inform Per Mertesacker will not be an easy task. For Liverpool, Lucas has been ruled out for three to four months after a serious thigh injury. His defensive qualities will be greatly missed and it’s a massive setback for Liverpool. Daniel Agger returns from suspension and will surely slot back into the heart of the Liverpool defence. Arsenal came out on top when they last visited Anfield. Robin Van Persie scored a brace to give the Gunners all three points. But he is no longer here to rescue the Gunners, and the Arsenal fans will hope that their new forwards can step up to the mark at Anfield. It will be a great place, for the Gunners to get their first win of the season but as Liverpool showed against Man City, they are well capable of turning it on and will pose a huge threat to Arsenal. It should be a brilliant game, as both managers are known for their attacking style. Liverpool turned to Brendan Rogers in the summer after sacking Kenny Daglish, who led them to an eighth place finish in the premier league last season. For a club of the size of Liverpool, that was nothing short of disastrous. He along with Damien Comolli, also accounted for some truly terrible transfers in the transfer window of 2011. The likes of Stuart Downing,Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson contributed very little and the price paid for them was the work of mismanagement. Downing failed to register a single goal or assist in the league last season and Adam was out of his depth. Under Rogers, these three players simply do not feature in the first team anymore. Adam is on his way out and the other two have become squad players. The work to undo all those mistakes, has started and this time around, Liverpool have spent their money much more wisely. Joe Allen has been the stand out buy for Liverpool this summer and he is player who simply does not give the ball away. He keeps them ticking and he was the man of the match against Manchester City last week. And for £15 Million, he is looking a bargain at the moment. Nuri Sahin has also been brought in but Liverpool have only managed to get him on loan from Real Madrid, Sahin was the outstanding player in the German league just two years ago, and it’s another piece of shred business from Liverpool. Fabio Borini was another player who was drafted into the Liverpool squad this summer, and he is a player that Rogers knows well, having worked with him at Swansea and Chelsea. He is a fast tricky player who is very dangerous in and around the box. Luis Suarez is one of the most talented players in the entire league and on his day he can win games on his own. His ability to beat player never fails to impress. Last week, the Arsenal centre-backs had to deal with the aerial threat of Peter Crouch and this week they have to deal with skills and dribbling of Suarez. Liverpool will surely be looking to try and isolate Mertesacker in order to get Suarez to run at him. Steven Gerrard was England’s stand out player in this summer’s Euro’s and while his performance are not as consistent as they should to be, he like Suarez is a match winner and he has hurt Arsenal plenty of times in the past with his individual skill. Against Manchester City, Rodgers sprang a surprise on everyone by starting 17 year old Raheem Sterling. The youngster repaid the faith show in him by going on to impress and take the game to City with his pace and skills. By starting Sterling, Rodgers has shown that he is prepared to take risks. His new fearless approach can only be a good thing for a Liverpool side that had a shocking record at home in the league last season. Liverpool will also be hoping that their players can be more clinical this season, compared to the previous season. Missing guilt edge chances was one of Liverpool’s biggest problems and they should have come out with a lot more wins if they even took half the chances they created last season. Arsenal will go into this game not only looking for their first win of the season but also their first goals of the new season. Giroud missed a sitter against Sunderland and against Stoke the Gunners failed to create any clear cut chances. But unlike Stoke and Sunderland, Liverpool under Rodgers especially, are not going to sit back and settle for a point. So this might create more space for the Arsenal attackers to work with on the counter. Gervinho had a game to forget against Stoke last week, and his place in the team will come under threat as Theo Walcott ad Alex Oxlade Chamberlain try and claim a spot in the first team. Theo Walcott this week came to a short term agreement with Arsene Wenger and he will now not be sold despite only having a year left on his contract. Arsene Wenger has said that he is looking to buy and will only buy quality, transfer deadline day is going to be a must watch for every Arsenal fan if that is indeed case. Mikel Areta has slotted into the deeper midfield position this season and his intelligence means that he is always one step ahead of the game and is also on the cover. Against a team like Liverpool, his new role will be tested as he will try and track midfield runners like Gerrard. Winning at Anfield is always special, but winning there this Sunday for Arsenal means that they will finally register their win and goals of the season. With the International break coming up, Arsenal will hope that they do not make that wait for the first win a much longer one. Team News: Arsene Wenger: Three Key Match-ups: please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Overall Record vs: Liverpool: Played: 209 Wins: 74 Draws: 55 Losses: 80 For: 265 Against: 290 GD: -25 Last 6 Meetings: Liverpool 1 - 2 Arsenal Arsenal 0 - 2 Liverpool Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool Liverpool 1 - 1 Arsenal Arsenal 1 - 0 Liverpool Liverpool 1 - 2 Arsenal please log in to view this image Managers View: Arsene Wenger: My Team: please log in to view this image Final Score: please log in to view this image
Hearts one up at Anfield. Aggregate score 1-1, now. They might go into extra time, which would be good for us.
Liverpool have looked a little toothless tonight, but they always up their game for serious opponents. They were excellent against City, they'll be excellent against us. We'll need Szczesny to repeat his anfield performance from last year.
The idiot that said that should hang his head in shame Though now he's scored that 1, he shouldn't score against us.
I take it he is wrong then. Anyway, in a Liverpool shirt, Suarez has been more miss then hit in front of goal.
I quite enjoy going to Anfield.I've always found the scousers friendly and personally it's a ground i've never felt threatened at.
Looking at the Hearts goal, and Pepe Reina ****ed up big time. He does have a massive clanger in him, let's hope that he drops one on Sunday.
Between the three of Walcott,Gervinho and Oxlade Chamberlain, who would you pick for Sunday? Despite all the stuff with his contract, I am going for Walcott.
Gervinho. Chamberlain didn't look fully fit when he came on, and if Theo is leaving in january, he can just rot in the reserves.
The Liverpool defense can be shambolic at times, and because they'll be attacking and putting pressure at us at home Walcott can catch them on the break. It's one of those match ups that can accentuate his strong points.
