Liverpool vs Arsenal: 3 key battles as Gunners look to end Anfield curse

Arsenal's annual trip to Anfield awaits on Sunday, and Mikel Arteta will be desperate for his side to finally end their suffering at the storied ground.

The Gunners haven't won in the league at the famous stadium on Merseyside since 2012, when goals from Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla secured Arsene Wenger's men three points. They did actually beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool on penalties in a Carabao Cup match in an empty Anfield during Covid, but to count this as a meaningful victory would be facetious.

The rot simply has to end at some point, and now might be the time. The Reds have secured some impressive victories in recent weeks against the likes of Brentford and Brighton, but the general consensus is that they've merely looked 'ok' under new manager Andoni Iraola.

The underlying metrics suggest they've been solid defensively but have been sorely lacking in creativity offensively. Basically, they're kind of like a worse version of Arsenal at the moment.

With that said, here are the key battles that we believe could be pivotal in dictating the outcome of the game in the north-west.

Alexander Isak vs Ezri Konsa

Alexander Isak has found his feet on Merseyside, and Arsenal need to be aware. The numbers say the Swede is doing far less in terms of his overall contributions, but he's getting good quality shots off and scoring goals at a rate as great as he ever has done.

The number nine will no doubt avoid the combative Gabriel Magalhaes and attach himself to Ezri Konsa. The England international has been outstanding since joining Arsenal, although he did struggle somewhat when trying to deal with Harry Kane's elusive movements in Munich last week.

Isak is by far Liverpool's most likely goalscorer, so if the Gunners manage to negate him, they should be able to lock up Iraola's attack.

Milos Kerkez vs Noni Madueke

Noni Madueke may lack consistency in his execution in the final third, but he is also Arsenal's wildcard. On the flip side, Milos Kerkez is an obvious weak point in Liverpool's backline and the Gunners should look to exploit him.

If Arsenal can feed Madueke in space, up against Kerkez, this could be their main route to breaking open a stubborn Reds defence.

Last term, in one of the former Chelsea man's first appearances for Arteta's team, he ripped Kerkez apart with his pace. He can do the same on Sunday.

Ryan Gravenberch vs Martin Odegaard

This is where the match could be won or lost. Liverpool run less than every other team in the league, and this is mostly because of their lack of work ethic in the middle of the park.

They don't have a natural defensive midfielder and instead use Ryan Gravenberch as a makeshift option in this role. The Dutchman's limited defensive abilities lead Liverpool to having a soft underbelly in the centre of the pitch, and Martin Odegaard can take advanatge of this.

The Norwegian is in red-hot form. He can break lines with ease, and if he's on it on Sunday, Liverpool may get carved through time and time again.

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