Liverpool vs Arsenal

The freshly-crowned title holders face off against the perennial underachievers in a thrilling Premier League clash this Sunday, as Liverpool open their doors to Arsenal for a high-stakes encounter at the summit, though the outcome holds little consequence for the Reds.

On the other hand, Mikel Arteta’s squad faces the risk of a devastating tumble that could see them miss out on next season’s Champions League, especially after enduring yet another European disappointment in Paris.

In what might be remembered as Liverpool’s most inconsequential loss ever, Arne Slot’s heavily rotated lineup predictably eased off against a full-strength Chelsea side last weekend, enabling the Blues to bolster their top-five aspirations with a 3-1 victory.

An early strike from Enzo Fernandez, a laughable own goal by Jarell Quansah, and Cole Palmer’s drought-breaking goal ensured that Virgil van Dijk’s header offered scant solace for the Premier League champions, though few, if any, Liverpool supporters would be troubled by last weekend’s result.

Now aiming to amass their highest-ever points tally, Liverpool can surpass the 90-point mark by winning their final three Premier League matches, which will also mark Trent Alexander-Arnold’s goodbye tour following his confirmed departure.

The Real Madrid-bound right-back isn’t likely to receive a warm farewell from the Kop in his second-to-last Anfield appearance, and he’s already slated to start from the bench on Sunday, where Slot’s side is chasing an eighth consecutive Premier League home victory.

Moreover, since their surprising September defeat to Nottingham Forest, Liverpool have scored at least twice in 14 of their 15 top-flight home games at Anfield, a stat Arsenal should heed after their notorious lack of clinical finishing proved costly in Europe once more.

Champions League disappointment in Paris is all too familiar for the Gunners, who famously fell just short of the coveted European title in the 2006 final against Barcelona in the French capital, with their wait for another final appearance now nearing two decades.

By squandering a dominant opening 20 minutes against a Gianluigi Donnarumma-led Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg, Arsenal were architects of their own downfall, falling to a 2-1 defeat and a 3-1 aggregate loss to the Munich-bound Parisians.

In Arteta’s candid view, the superior team was eliminated in the semi-finals, but that same ‘superior team’ has now suffered three consecutive defeats across all competitions, with a 2-1 Premier League loss to Bournemouth—epitomizing their season—wedged between the two PSG setbacks.

The Bournemouth match marked Arsenal’s 10th failure to secure a Premier League win from a leading position this season, setting an unwanted club record, with their points dropped from winning positions now totaling a grim 21, matching their worst single-season tally from 2019-20.

This leaves the second-placed Gunners with a challenge to cement their spot among Europe’s elite next season, and while their five-game unbeaten streak against Liverpool in the Premier League is encouraging, Arsenal haven’t claimed a top-flight victory at Anfield since Arteta’s playing days in 2012.

Newcastle has scored three goals or more in four of their five consecutive victories at St James' Park, where they have defeated Forest (4-3), Manchester United (4-1), Crystal Palace (5-0), and relegated Ipswich Town (3-0). Only Liverpool (46 points) have amassed more points than Newcastle (43) over the last 20 league games.

The Geordies, who have watched Howe win his three meetings with the Blues on Tyneside by an aggregate score of 7-1, will support their team to snap the West Londoners' winning streak, especially since the hosts have won seven of their last eleven Premier League home games against Chelsea, whom they also defeated in this season's EFL Cup fourth round.