Arsenal vs Liverpool predicted XI: Nothing to lose, right?

Arsenal get to face Liverpool… again. Thanks League Cup. Here is how they will line up with nothing to lose and the fire closing in around them.

I would imagine that Liverpool fans are licking their chops ready to see their side savagely rip apart an imploding Arsenal. With such a lack of leadership from Unai Emery and the fact that the players are essentially operating on their own accord, trying to hold themselves together.

It’s quite bad. And the club captain chucked his armband and according to Emery, we’re just fine, and according to the “experts” the club are in mortal peril and all in all, there’s not a lot going right. Which is the perfect time to travel to Anfield for a good ol’ midweek match against the English giants.

The good news is that the Gunners have absolutely nothing to lose. Like, what are they even playing for anymore? The manager? Nope. The fans? Not most of them. The badge? That still holds water.

But that could mean that the pressure will be lifted, thus allowing this team to stretch their legs and get comfortable in a match that they have no business winning.

Whether that translates to an actual win… I’m not so sure. But I’ll never count this team out.

Regarding the starting XI, I have to believe that both clubs will want to keep the rotation going, despite the high quality of the match-up. Meaning that Emery should stick with his more-exciting-than-the-first-team rotational squad.

That is, unless he overthinks himself into start his dull senior squad, but I don’t think he has the ingenuity to change anything for the match. I think he sticks with the 4-2-3-1 that could form a 4-4-2 and goes with a starting line-up that will look a little something like this:

Keeper

Emi Martinez will have his first really big test of the season. He let his first two goals go through against Vitoria, but neither one was his fault. He was left stranded by suddenly poor defending. I wouldn’t expect anything glaringly off-putting on his part. Whether that will save us or not, I’m leaning towards not, but only time will tell.

Onward to the fullbacks.