Premier League
Arsenal Vs Liverpool Preview: Can The Premier League Reigning Champions Stop The League Leaders?
Few fixtures in English football carry the weight, history, and drama of Arsenal vs Liverpool.
Across generations, this matchup has consistently delivered unforgettable moments, and Thursday night’s encounter promises yet another enthralling chapter. It will also be a historic meeting, marking the first-ever Premier League clash between the sides to be played on a Thursday.
Their last league encounter on this day dates back to December 1947 at Anfield football has changed drastically since then, but the rivalry remains just as fierce.
Liverpool Chasing Another Double
For Arsenal, the historical numbers do not make for comfortable reading. Liverpool have won four of their last five Premier League away matches on a Thursday, with the only exception being a defeat to Manchester City in 2020.
No team has handed Arsenal more Premier League defeats than the Reds, with 26 losses level with Manchester United.
Liverpool now has their sights set on completing an eighth Premier League double over Arsenal. Their seven previous doubles are already the most any team has recorded against the Gunners, and victory here would underline their pedigree in these big moments.
With the two sides positioned first and fourth on the table, and only Manchester City and Aston Villa between them, the stakes are enormous. Yet, as Mikel Arteta will likely stress, Arsenal’s destiny remains in their own hands.
Szoboszlai’s Opportunity to Make History
The last time these teams met, Liverpool inflicted Arsenal’s first league defeat of the season through Dominic Szoboszlai’s spectacular free-kick.
The Hungarian had also registered an assist in the previous encounter in May 2025, and he now stands one contribution away from a remarkable individual record.
A goal or assist would make him the first Liverpool player to be involved in three consecutive Premier League goals against Arsenal since Sadio Mané achieved the feat in 2017.
Liverpool’s unbeaten streak against Arsenal in league encounters stretches back to February 2024. With Arne Slot now steering the Reds, confidence in extending that run will be high.
Two Teams in Form and Full of Confidence
Arsenal enter the match on a five-game winning streak, while Liverpool are unbeaten in their last six Premier League outings. Both sides are playing with rhythm, confidence, and clear attacking intent.
For Arsenal, standout performances this season have come from Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyökeres, and Declan Rice. Trossard and Gyökeres share the team’s top-scorer status with five goals each, while Rice has added four and recently scored the first Premier League brace of his career.
Arsenal’s attacking threat, though, does not end there.
Bukayo Saka has scored in each of his last three home league games against Liverpool, a feat no Arsenal player has ever extended to a fourth consecutive home meeting.
On the opposite flank, Gabriel Martinelli has been directly involved in six goals in his last seven Premier League games against Liverpool making the Reds one of his favourite opponents.
Arsenal’s home dominance this season has also been exceptional. They remain unbeaten at the Emirates with nine wins and one draw and have won their last seven matches on home turf, their second-best run under Arteta.
Gakpo Steps Into the Spotlight
Liverpool’s most prolific attacker this season has been Hugo Ekitike, who has scored eight goals.
However, with the striker still recovering from a hamstring injury and yet to return to team training, Slot is expected to turn to Cody Gakpo to lead the line.
That may be no bad thing. Gakpo has developed a strong connection with London pitches this season, scoring all three of his away Premier League goals in the capital against Chelsea, West Ham, and Fulham.
Should he find the net again, he would become only the second Liverpool player ever to score in four separate away league games in London in a single Premier League campaign, after Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool’s season has also been defined by late drama. Their league matches have seen nine goals after the 90th minute, five for, four against, second only to Burnley.
For neutrals, it has made their games unmissable. For supporters, perhaps a bit too stressful.
A Fixture That Rarely Ends Without Goals
One thing Thursday’s clash is unlikely to deliver is a goalless draw. Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 20 league matches against Liverpool, a run stretching back to August 2015.
Only stretches against Manchester United in the 1950s and Tottenham in the 1950s and ’60s represent longer clean-sheet droughts in Arsenal’s history.
With Liverpool’s late scoring tendencies and Arsenal’s home firepower, this fixture feels destined for goals.
Set-Pieces: Arsenal’s Golden Edge Over Liverpool
Perhaps the most decisive area of this match lies in set-pieces an area where Arsenal excel and Liverpool struggle.
Liverpool has conceded 13 goals from set-pieces this season, the joint-worst record in the league. Nearly half of all goals they’ve conceded have come from dead-ball situations.
Offensively, they have also found little success, ranking 18th in expected goals from set-plays.
With Gabriel Magalhães scoring in two straight games and continuing to be a major aerial threat, Arsenal will fancy their chances every time Rice or Ødegaard stands over a corner.
A Crucial Moment in the Title Race
Liverpool’s 2–2 draw with Fulham last weekend, decided by stoppage-time goals at both ends, showed both their quality and their fragility.
Arsenal, on the other hand, showed resilience and firepower in their win over Bournemouth, with Rice and Gabriel stepping up in key moments.
There is also the historical significance of Arsenal’s recent record against reigning champions at home. They have beaten Manchester City at the Emirates in each of the past two seasons.
Achieving such a feat for a third straight campaign would echo a run last seen in the early 1960s.
With both teams chasing momentum and points that could define their campaigns, Thursday’s match stands as one of the most intriguing fixtures of the Premier League season so far.
