I shy away from making predictions for big matches, due to their unpredictable nature, but am glad to say the two I have made this season have come off.
1) Tipping Marouane Fellaini to lead Everton to victory over United, and now 2) tipping Santi Cazorla to expose Liverpool's weakness and inspire an Arsenal victory at Anfield.
In case you missed it, here is our article from Saturday night...
Liverpool have had a mixed start to the season, and it should not be forgotten for however impressive they were against Manchester City, they did not win, and have just one point, placing them below Arsenal in the table.
Arsenal can extend the gap over the Reds to four points with a win, but it won't be easy.
The key question for Liverpool is how can they cope without Lucas, who is injured, and will Nuri Sahin make his debut against a club he was reported to be nearly joining.
Cazorla is a real attacking force who likes to drift into positions at the tip of the midfield, and will ask real questions of Liverpool.
Lucas like Mascherano before him is the defensive fulcrum of Liverpool's side, tasked with breaking up the play and nullifying the opposition attacks.
He was injured early on against City, and Brendan Rodgers confirmed earlier in the week that he would be about for two-to-three months.
Liverpool do have options, but different type of players. Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin's games depend more on their passing ability, and if Sahin was thrown in for his debut it would be a tough ask.
Steven Gerrard could be asked to drop deep as he did for England at Euro 2012, and that could be an ideal solution.
If Liverpool do not find one, then Cazorla will use the space dangerously to create chances for Arsenal's strikers, and shoot on goal from long-range, and he could be the match-winner.
All of which inspired a comment from a reader- most likely a Liverpool fan who commented: "Why don't you save your breath until after the match?"
OK then...
image: © Ronnie Macdonald




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