Liverpool v Arsenal Preview: Gunners looking to maintain impressive form

Arsenal pay a visit to Anfield on Wednesday for the first set of midweek fixtures of the 2015/16 season. The Gunners will be keen to maintain their recent consistent domestic form while Jurgen Klopp’s injury plagued squad will be looking to get their Premier League campaign back on track.

Arsene Wenger’s side narrowly saw off a determined Newcastle United side in their last game while Liverpool were outdone by West Ham 2-0 - former Reds flop Andy Carroll condemning them to defeat.

The Gunners were victorious in their FA Cup fixture on Saturday, beating Sunderland 3-1, while Liverpool were forced into a replay by League Two side Exeter City in a thrilling 2-2 draw on the Friday night.

Can Arsenal maintain good form?

Apart from a minor 4-0 blip sustained at Southampton on Boxing Day, Arsenal have been in fairly impressive form over recent months. Since dropping four points against both Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion in late November, the Gunners have won seven of their last six fixtures, including beating title rivals Manchester City 2-1.

Star man Mesut Ozil has been the main catalyst for his side’s success this season, with his virtuoso performance in the 2-0 victory against Bournemouth arguably the standout display of the season.

Liverpool themselves come into the match seeking to find some consistency to help achieve their Champions League goals. Losses to Watford and West Ham in recent games have raised questions about the quality available to Klopp in the squad.

Emre Can has arguably been the Reds finest player throughout the festive period with his combative style of play thriving under the new system put in place by the new manager. He earned a well-deserved rest during the FA Cup fixture.

Last Season’s meetings favour Arsenal

This match-up last season produced a very entertaining 2-2 draw, with Liverpool dominating the game but succumbing to two Arsenal goals against the run of play. A Martin Skrtel equaliser in the 97th minute was required to earn a point after Fabio Borini saw red in the latter stages of proceedings.

The reverse fixture at the Emirates saw the Gunners earn a credible 4-1 victory with Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Ozil all getting on the score sheet that day.

However, Anfield has not been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal in recent years, with memories of their 5-1 demolition at the hands of a Luis Suarez inspired Liverpool in 2013/14 still fresh in the mind of fans.

The game at the Emirates back in August produced one of the mosy entertaining 0-0 draws in recent memory. Petr Cech was the hero for the Gunners on the day with a whole host of heroic saves.

Team news

Wenger will be happy that he has no fresh injury concerns for the match but the Frenchman will still be without a number of key players.

Sanchez is still unavailable while the likes of Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck are still long term absentees. Tomas Rosicky is nearing a return while Mikel Arteta is available once again.

Liverpool themselves have a horrific injury list, with a whole host of star names missing. Phillippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel, Jordan Ibe, Daniel Sturridge, Mamadou Sakho and Divock Origi are just some of the first team players set to miss the fixture.

Christian Benteke, Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino are all available and will be keen to make a positive impression in the absence of some players ahead of them in the pecking order.