MatchThe opposition lowdown: Arsenal

Season so far

The Gunners are setting the pace in the top flight with 48 points from 20 games.

A 3-2 victory on the road at AFC Bournemouth last Saturday was the 15th Premier League win of the campaign for Mikel Arteta's team.

They have lost only twice, with one of those a 1-0 defeat against the Reds at Anfield in August.

Key players

Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard are Arsenal's leading scorers in the league with five strikes apiece.

Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have supplied four goals each, too.

Trossard has also been their primary creator in league football with four assists.

No goalkeeper in the division has registered more clean sheets this term than David Raya's nine.

Team news

Kai Havertz underwent knee surgery in August but returned to the squad at the end of 2025 and has trained in the build-up to this encounter.

Defensive duo Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori have been ruled out.

Previous meetings

A stunning free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai was the difference between the teams when they clashed earlier in this campaign.

Liverpool's last visit to the Emirates came in October 2024, when Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah scored equalisers for the visitors in an eventual 2-2 draw.

What they said

Arteta, Arsenal manager

"Obviously [we are] very excited, a massive game against the champions of the last Premier League. We have a point to prove. We are going to have our crowd, our supporters [in] very early before eight o'clock – everybody there, creating an amazing atmosphere. I'm looking forward to it.

"We are top of the table, we play at home against a really, really good opponent and we want to maintain our position. In order to do that, we're going to have to be excellent throughout the game to deserve to win the game – that's the point we have to prove."

Pre-match stats

• Arsenal have won their last seven Premier League matches at Emirates Stadium – only once under Arteta have they had a longer home league winning run, winning 10 consecutively between April and December 2022.

• Against no team have Arsenal lost more Premier League games than they have against Liverpool (26, level with Manchester United).

• Saka has scored in each of his last three Premier League home fixtures versus Liverpool. In their league history, no Gunner has ever scored in four consecutive home matches against the Reds.

• Arsenal have lost their first home league contest in just one of the last 12 calendar years.

• Gabriel Martinelli has been directly involved in six goals (four goals, two assists) in his last seven Premier League encounters with Liverpool. Against no other opponent does he have more goals and assists in the competition.