Premier League leaders Arsenal will have a point to prove when they welcome defending champions Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in a Thursday night brawl that could have huge ramifications on the title race this season. With Arsenal currently holding a six-point lead (48 points from 20 games) at the top of the Premier League standings ahead of second-placed Manchester City, the clash against Liverpool will demand excellence all throughout the 90 minutes, believes Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
“We’re very excited. It’s a massive game against the champions… We have a point to prove, we’re going to have our crowd creating an amazing atmosphere,” Arteta told journalists at a press conference on Wednesday a day ahead of the Liverpool clash.
“We are top of the table, we play at home against a really good opponent. We want to maintain our position. To do that, we’re going to have to be excellent throughout the game. That’s the point we have to prove.”
Arsenal have a stellar home record so far this season, having won 14 of their 15 matches across all competitions this season. They will not just look to continue that record on Thursday but also inflict some pain on a beleaguered Liverpool whose title defence is in tatters as the club finds itself in fourth place in the Premier League, 14 points behind Arsenal. The Gunners faithful will still be smarting from the 0-1 defeat the club suffered at Anfield back in August.
“Our home fans been unbelievable again this season. It makes such a difference. We become a different team. The level of energy, commitment, confidence and desire is transmitted by them. We need them tomorrow,” Arteta said.
“There is nothing like it. You become a different player. Your emotional status is better, your level is better, your confidence is better. They encourage you to perform actions with aggression, with a lot of determination, and it lifts the whole team.”
Arteta said he would not take Arne Slot’s team lightly.
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“Liverpool have a great manager. They have a sensational structural understanding of what they have to do in relation to other players that they select tomorrow in the lineup,” Arteta said.
“They can play in different ways, because those will make it a bit different and specific to what we can expect tomorrow and we have to be conscious of that and focus in on what we have to do.
“We want to win every game. The most important one is tomorrow’s. We know what we have to do to beat them, now we have to prove it on the pitch.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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