The English Premier League schedule is loaded this weekend with Manchester United hosting Leicester, and Everton visiting the defending champions from Chelsea. However, the marquee match of the week comes from Anfield on Sunday, where Arsenal visits Liverpool in a clash of teams with top-four aspirations. However, do they have enough to get there?
What To Know About Arsenal
Arsenal fell 1-0 at home to Stoke in their second game, and while they did have one goal called back incorrectly for offside and should have had a penalty, their defense is the biggest worry. Laurent Koscielny is still suspended and Arsene Wenger left captain Per Mertesacker on the bench. That meant Nacho Monreal was the anchor in a back three, and it didn’t go very well. Granit Xhaka had a poor game and he isn’t disciplined enough to stay in front of the defense, while Aaron Ramsey was solid going forward, but Arsenal might also need him to stay back. Alexis Sanchez might return this weekend, which could spark Mesut Ozil, but the German still floats in and out of matches. Until Wenger figures out what his team is, their fans will continue to be frustrated.
What To Know About Liverpool
Liverpool won 1-0 in their home opener over Crystal Palace, with Sadio Mane finding the back of the net in the 73rd minute. It was Mane’s second goal of the season, and he has been the main man for Liverpool so far this season. However, the Philippe Coutinho transfer saga rolls on as Barcelona won’t give up and he likely won’t return from a “bad back” this weekend. Coutinho is Liverpool’s most creative player (especially with Adam Lallana injured) and they could have used him last week against Crystal Palace, who sat back and kept Liverpool on the outside for most of the day. A big surprise came at left back as Andrew Robertson made his Premier League debut and looked like a veteran going both backward and forward. Still, Liverpool has a lot of work to do to be considered a title contender.
Outlook
Liverpool is favored at home at +120, with Arsenal coming in at +200 and a draw is rated at +260. Arsenal has won four and drawn four of their last 11 meetings with Liverpool, who won both meetings last season by scores of 4-3 and 3-1. Neither team has a great defense, so there should be a few goals in this match, even though they could be without their best players on each side. This is a huge early-season meeting for both as Manchester United has looked excellent to start the season, and you get the feeling that Manchester City (who have set their sights on Sanchez) and Chelsea will be better soon. That leaves one spot for the top four, and then there is also Leicester. You don’t want to get behind too early in the season, and games like this against another “big” club could be the difference in reaching the top four and simply fighting for a European spot.
EPL Betting Pick: Liverpool
Get the latest betting lines on all of the EPL games for this weekend at Play Shangrila!
