Arsenal and Liverpool, weakened by their presence at the Africa Cup of Nations, face off in their EFL Cup semi-final’s first leg on Thursday with kickoff at 10:45 pm.
Arsenal beat Sunderland 5-1 to move to the semi-finals, while Liverpool needed penalty kicks to defeat Leicester City.
It is always sad when the excitement of the match is overshadowed by controversial refereeing and VAR decisions, but Arsenal showed plenty of promise in their resolute performance against Manchester City on New Year’s Day.
However, a vital but undeserved defeat to Man City ended a five-game winning run and a 12-game unbeaten streak at home for the Gunners across all tournaments.
They have found the back of the net in each of their last nine matches and will certainly not turn their noses up to a shot at silverware—one that has eluded them for almost 30 years.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane scored early to put the Reds ahead. Still, Chelsea would answer back through Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic to share the points at Stamford Bridge.
In recent weeks, Jurgen Klopp’s side has been no strangers to stalemates, with the last three matches ending in draws. They defeated Leicester City after a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.
Arsenal’s young guns slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Anfield earlier in the season, and the Gunners will be meeting Liverpool in this season’s EFL Cup for the third season running.
Arsenal vs Liverpool Head to Head
Both sides have 42 games against each other, with each side taking 13 wins and 16 draws. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Arsenal 1-2 Man City
- Norwich City 0-5 Arsenal
- Arsenal 5-1 Sunderland
- Leeds United 1-4 Arsenal
- Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Away
- Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool
- Leicester City 1-0 Liverpool
- Liverpool 3-3 Leicester
- Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool
- Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle
Arsenal Team News
Arsenal will be without forwards Nicolas Pepe, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny for the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie after all three players were included in their home nation’s provisional squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Liverpool Team News
Liverpool will be without key players in the Africa Cup of Nations, while Alisson Becker and Roberto Firmino have returned positive tests before their recent match against Chelsea.
Andy Robertson returns from a ban to take his rightful place in defence, while Thiago Alcantara and Takumi Minamino are unavailable.
Prediction and Odds
Liverpool’s veteran defenders and industrious midfielders should frustrate the young Arsenal XI, but it may be difficult for the Reds to score goals.
- Draw
- Goals Under 3.5
- Both Teams to Score
