Arsenal vs Liverpool prediction, odds and betting tips

Two of English football’s heavyweights will lock horns in the third round of the FA Cup this weekend.

Find the latest match odds for Arsenal vs Liverpool. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

• Liverpool win or a draw in the double chance market - 8/11 with bet365
• Back over 2.5 goals and both teams to score -20/21 with bet365
• Darwin Nunez as an anytime goalscorer - 13/5 with bet365

Arsenal and Liverpool will put their Premier League title bids on hold when they do battle in the FA Cup this weekend.

These two sides are Manchester City’s likeliest challengers for the championship crown, although they had contrasting results over the festive period.

For Liverpool, a return of eight points from a possible 12 since mid-December is decent, not least because they have had to face Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle United - three of last season’s top four - in that time. 

The Reds also advanced to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup in style, thumping West Ham United 5-1 at Anfield.

Arsenal have had less to cheer, collecting only four points from their last four Premier League outings. Back-to-back defeats by West Ham United and Fulham have seen them drop to fourth in the standings, five points behind Liverpool in top spot.

In some ways, therefore, this game has come at a bad time for Mikel Arteta’s men. The Arsenal boss would no doubt have preferred to face lower-league opposition to give his beleaguered players some respite. As it is, they must take on the Premier League leaders.

While both teams will be looking to win, this match is probably more important to Arsenal than it is to Liverpool.

That is in part because they are at home and in part because of their poor form of late. Moreover, Arsenal are out of the EFL Cup - a tournament that Liverpool are now the favourites to win.

The pressure will be on the home team, then, but Arteta would no doubt exchange a defeat on Sunday for victories in his team’s upcoming Premier League games against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.

Indeed, this is the second of three meetings between this pair in a six-week period. Will it be advantage Arsenal or Liverpool after round two?

Arsenal are on a poor run of form and they could slip up again when they face Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Liverpool and Arsenal each took a share of the spoils when they clashed at Anfield last month. The visitors started strongly and took an early lead through Gabriel Magalhaes, but Mohamed Salah restored parity before half-time.

Liverpool looked more likely to notch the decisive third goal of the game, but Arsenal showed resilience to keep the score at 1-1.

That match was only a couple of weeks ago but the mood at the Emirates Stadium has deteriorated after those losses to West Ham and Fulham.

Arsenal’s performance in the latter match was especially disappointing, as they struggled to create chances after going 2-1 down.

The Gunners now rank seventh for goals scored in the Premier League this term. If they do not address that issue, Arsenal are unlikely to win silverware.

Liverpool will be quietly confident of frustrating Arteta’s team here. The absence of Wataru Endo and in particular Salah (the duo have jetted off to the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations respectively) makes their side weaker, but the Reds still have enough about them to avoid defeat. After all, this is a team that has still only lost one domestic game in 2023/24.

On account of their struggles in front of goal, Arsenal have been advised to bring in a new striker this month.

However, it is far from certain that the addition of a centre-forward would solve all their problems at the top of the pitch.

Arsenal’s issues are related to creation as well as conversion. The number of goals they have scored (37) is roughly in line with their expected goals (36.4). Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester City have all created better chances up to now.

Still, there are benefits to facing a team like Liverpool compared to one like Fulham. The Reds will push high up the pitch rather than defending in a low block.

Arsenal will therefore have opportunities to attack in transition, which is where they tend to be most dangerous. For that reason, go for goals in this one.

Liverpool fans will be hoping that Egypt are knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations early on. In a worst-case scenario, Salah could miss as many as eight games across three different competitions before he is available for Liverpool again.

Others will need to step up in his absence. It is unclear who will directly replace him on the right - Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Dominik and Harvey Elliott are all contenders - but it will likely take a collective effort to replace Salah’s goals.

Now is the time for Darwin Nunez to become more prolific. There is no doubt that the Uruguay international is a handful, but he is still not sufficiently reliable in front of goal.

A goal in a game like this would do wonders for Nunez’s confidence - tip him to get one at the Emirates.

• Location: Emirates Stadium, London, England.
• Date and time: Sunday 7 January 2024, 4.30pm.
• How to watch: BBC One.

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