After suffering a surprising 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth last Saturday, Arsenal finds itself in a position where it desperately needs to gain ground in the title race. Tomorrow, they will welcome Premier League leaders Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium. The Reds have yet to drop a point on the road, and they certainly don’t want to start that trend in North London. However, Arsenal will face this challenge without some key players due to injuries and suspensions. Mikel Arteta is eager to reclaim the title he narrowly missed out on last season against his former boss Pep Guardiola. Another dropped point at home against Arne Slot’s side could be detrimental.

Gameweek nine of the 2024-25 Premier League season wraps up with a monumental clash at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal and Liverpool, both title contenders, will go head-to-head.

In their midweek Champions League matches, neither team looked particularly dominant. Arsenal scraped past Shakhtar Donetsk with a narrow 1-0 victory, and Liverpool edged out RB Leipzig by the same score. Before their recent setback on the South Coast, Arsenal fans hadn’t seen their team lose a Premier League away match since December 31, 2023. Unfortunately, a lack of discipline proved costly against Bournemouth, particularly after William Saliba received a first-half red card. While Arsenal has managed to secure draws against the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City with 10 men, a well-executed goal from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert’s penalty marked the end of Arsenal’s impressive 12-game unbeaten run away from home.

This defeat at the Vitality Stadium was particularly hard to swallow for the Gunners, as it marked their first loss in six months. Arteta took note of this in his press conference, lamenting the missed chance to lead the league standings; now Arsenal sits in third, four points behind Liverpool.

Arsenal struggled for creativity in their Champions League match against Shakhtar without key players Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka, managing to win only thanks to an own goal from Dmytro Riznyk. Despite that victory, the Gunners have won nine of their last ten competitive matches at home. However, fans might feel a sense of unease; Arsenal’s win rate in Premier League games without Saliba drops to 45%, compared to a commanding 74% when he’s in the lineup.

On the other hand, Liverpool approaches this fixture with confidence and no disciplinary issues, thriving under manager Arne Slot, who has made a significant impact since taking over from Jurgen Klopp. The Reds recently faced a stiff challenge from Chelsea at Anfield but triumphed thanks to a penalty from Mohamed Salah and a crucial goal from Curtis Jones.

If they secure a win tomorrow, Liverpool would accumulate 24 points after their first nine matches, a milestone they have achieved only once before in their successful 2019-20 campaign. However, their performance in this fixture has dipped recently. Arsenal has won the last two league encounters at the Emirates and remains unbeaten in their last four Premier League meetings against Liverpool, despite falling short in the FA Cup third-round tie earlier this year.