Liverpool vs. Arsenal 2017: Prediction, Start, Time, Team News For Premier League Match

Liverpool and Arsenal will face off at Anfield Saturday in a battle between two clubs that just a few weeks ago had realistic Premier League title ambitions but are now just hoping to cling onto a place in the top four.

It has been a miserable 2017 all round for both clubs. Arsenal recorded back-to-back losses against Watford and Chelsea a month back to all-but end its hopes of ending a 13-year wait for a Premier League title. And Arsene Wenger’s side also saw its Champions League hopes effectively come to an end after a 5-1 demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich. Tuesday’s return match at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday is now nothing more than a face-saving exercise.

Liverpool has seen an even sharper drop-off in form. In second place at the turn of the year, Liverpool has won just one of its seven Premier League games since. At the same time, it has been knocked out of both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

The Merseysiders went down 3-1 to champion Leicester City last week and manager Jurgen Klopp has conceded that a much-improved performance is required against Arsenal.

“The Leicester game was in this specific way special – there were really a lot of bad individual performances,” he said at his pre-match press conference. “That was the problem. If we have that many players not on their usual level, then each Premier League game will be difficult, especially this game. We lost because of our performance, that's all.

“It's a week ago, we have to do better, there were a few other players who have a lot of space to improve from this game.”

Liverpool now sits fifth in the table, 14 points adrift of runaway leader Chelsea and a point back of Arsenal in fourth. For Arsenal boss Wenger, the all-too familiar fading from contention has been accompanied by much speculation over Wenger’s future. The Frenchman’s contract is set to expire in the summer and this week he was linked with the impending vacancy at Barcelona.

“No, my preference has always been the same and will remain the same,” he said when asked if he would be interested in the Barcelona job.

“Of course I am not looking for jobs in other clubs or jobs off other people, I am focused on me, getting to the next level and trying to improve and always trying to see what you can do better and reinvent yourself and that’s what I try to do. That’s basically it. My preference has always been Arsenal.”

Wenger has been boosted this week by the return to fitness of Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud. However, Mohamed Elneny faces three weeks out with an ankle injury. Liverpool, meanwhile, will be missing Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge but will make a late assessment on the fitness of defender Dejan Lovren.

Prediction: While Liverpool has struggled mightily in 2017, it has reserved its best performances for matches against the Premier League’s top six – beating Tottenham and drawing with Chelsea and Manchester United. It should be a better-looking Liverpool on show Saturday, too, against an Arsenal side unlikely to dig in defensively or press them aggressively as other teams have done successfully recently.

In fact, with both teams less than rock solid defensively of late, it could be a high-scoring contest, even if it will have to go some way to match the thrills on display on the opening weekend of the season when Liverpool triumphed 4-3.

Predicted Score: Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal

Kickoff Time: 12:30 p.m. EST
TV Channel: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra