Liverpool vs Arsenal preview: Gunners can go three points clear at Anfield

Manchester City's 1-0 home defeat by Brighton on Saturday has handed Arsenal a clear opening. The Gunners go to Liverpool on Sunday 1 November (16:30 GMT) level with City on 21 points but with a game in hand – win at Anfield and they are top of the Premier League on their own, three points clear. The catch: Arsenal have not won a league game at Anfield since September 2012.

The table before kick-off

City's slip means the top of the table looks like this going into Sunday (full standings):

Pos	Team	Played	Points	Goal difference
1	Manchester City	9	21	+10
2	Arsenal	8	21	+8
3	Brighton & Hove Albion	9	19	+17
4	Chelsea	9	16	+4
5	Liverpool	8	15	+3

What each result would mean:

• Arsenal win: Arsenal 24 points, three clear of City; Liverpool stay on 15.
• Draw: Arsenal top on 22, one point ahead of City; Liverpool 16.
• Liverpool win: Liverpool move to 18, within three points of Arsenal, and City stay top on goal difference.

Form: Liverpool rolling, Arsenal stung by Fleetwood

Andoni Iraola's side arrive in good shape. Liverpool have won their last two league games – 2-1 at Brentford and 2-0 at home to Brighton – and went through against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, winning 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Alexander Isak has six goals in his last six Premier League matches, according to Sports Mole, and Bradley Barcola has been involved in five goals in his last four appearances.

Arsenal's league run is strong – seven wins from eight, the only defeat a 3-0 loss at Brighton – but their week was not. Mikel Arteta's side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Fleetwood Town, losing 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. "We can't feel sorry for ourselves," captain Martin Ødegaard said afterwards, as quoted by Al Jazeera. Arteta was more pointed about Sunday: it has been 14 years since Arsenal last won at Anfield, "so it's time to do it".

Team news

Liverpool: Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoni (cruciate ligament) and Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) are out. Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) and Víctor Muñoz have not played since the win at Brentford, but Iraola said both "have a chance" of being involved. Florian Wirtz is back after an ankle knock.

Arsenal: Bukayo Saka (thigh) and William Saliba (back) are out, and 17-year-old Max Dowman starts a three-match ban after his red card at Fleetwood. Noni Madueke (ankle) is a doubt and Christos Tzolis' fitness is unclear, while Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori have returned to training and are on course to be available, according to Arteta.

Probable Liverpool XI (ESPN and Al Jazeera agree): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Barcola, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.

Arsenal's line-up is harder to call. David Raya, Ben White, Gabriel, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martín Zubimendi, Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze are expected to start; with Saka, Madueke and Tzolis missing, Arteta has to improvise on the right, where Mikel Merino or Kai Havertz could fill in.

Our take

This is a bigger test for Arsenal than the table suggests. Their wide options are badly thinned out, and Liverpool's attack – Isak through the middle, Barcola and Gakpo on the flanks, Wirtz in between – is exactly the kind that punishes a side short of pace on the break. Expect Iraola to push his full-backs high and attack Arsenal's makeshift right side.

Arsenal's case rests on their defence: even without Saliba they have been the most consistent team in the league, and a point at Anfield would still put them top. A draw is the result that would suit City least, while a Liverpool win would turn a two-horse race into a much more crowded one. Our view: Arsenal's run without a league win at Anfield is a real weight, but this is their best chance in years to end it.

Follow Liverpool vs Arsenal live on EZCO – minute-by-minute score, goals and cards on the match page, plus the live Premier League table.