Liverpool vs Arsenal Preview: Can the Champions End 13 Visits of Anfield Hurt?

Liverpool vs Arsenal is the only Premier League game on Sunday, and it could reshape the title race. Champions Arsenal travel to Anfield for a 21:30 PKT kick-off (16:30 GMT) sitting second with 21 points from eight games, six ahead of fourth-placed Liverpool. But the champions carry a heavy Anfield burden: they have not won a league game at Anfield since September 2012, a run stretching across 13 visits.

Liverpool vs Arsenal: 13 Visits Without a Win at Anfield

Arsenal's last Premier League win at Anfield came in September 2012, a 2-0 victory with goals from Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla. Since then, the Gunners have visited 13 times in the league without a win, drawing five and losing eight. Mikel Arteta, who played in that 2012 win, has never won a league game at Anfield as Arsenal manager, and he admitted the scale of the task this week: "It's 14 years that we haven't won there."

The recent history between the clubs offers Liverpool some comfort and Arsenal a warning. Liverpool have won only one of the last eight league meetings between the sides, with five draws and two defeats, and last season's two meetings produced just one goal between them — Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick that settled Liverpool's 1-0 Anfield win in August 2025. Opta's supercomputer still gives Arsenal a 41.8 percent chance of winning on Sunday, a reminder of how strong the champions have been this season.

Why this trip is different

Arsenal arrive as reigning champions, having won the title in May, and they have lost only once in the league this season, 3-0 at Brighton. Liverpool, under Andoni Iraola, have bounced back from their 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City on 11 October and are unbeaten in five matches in all competitions since. A win for Arsenal would stretch their lead over Liverpool to nine points; a Liverpool win would cut the gap to three and throw the race wide open.

Team News: Saka and Saliba Out, Rice and Calafiori Back in Training

Arsenal's injury list is the story of the week. William Saliba's injury rules the defender out until late November at the earliest, after a back problem that has kept him out all season, with 25 November listed as a possible return date. Bukayo Saka is out with a thigh injury picked up against Bayern Munich and is expected to be sidelined until December. Max Dowman serves a three-match suspension after his red card in the Carabao Cup defeat at Fleetwood, with Arsenal's appeal rejected by an independent commission.

There is better news elsewhere. Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis all trained on Friday and will be available if they come through Saturday's session without problems, while Noni Madueke, who missed the Fleetwood game with an ankle problem, is not definitely ruled out. Liverpool's own list is long: Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike are all out, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz remain doubts.

Arsenal absentees

• Bukayo Saka — thigh injury, expected out until December
• William Saliba — back injury, return not expected until late November
• Max Dowman — suspended for three games after the Fleetwood red card

Liverpool absentees

• Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike — all out
• Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz — doubts for Sunday

The absences bite hardest in attack and defence for both sides. Arsenal must find a way past Liverpool's defence without Saka's pace, while Liverpool will hope in-form striker Alexander Isak, who has scored six goals in his last six league games, can exploit a back line missing its leader in Saliba. The shock Carabao Cup defeat at Fleetwood showed Arsenal can be rattled, but champions rarely lose twice in a week.

What to Watch at Anfield

Three battles will decide this game. First, can Arsenal's midfield control the tempo without being overrun by Liverpool's energy? Second, does Isak get the service to punish a Saliba-less defence? Third, does Anfield itself become a factor — the crowd, the history, and the weight of 13 winless visits? Arteta's side have won seven of eight league games this season, and a first Anfield win since 2012 would be the loudest statement of their title defence yet.

Confirmed lineups arrive around 20:30 PKT, an hour before kick-off, and this preview does not guess them. What is certain is that Sunday's only Premier League game is also its biggest: champions against a resurgent Liverpool, six points and 14 years of history between them.

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