Arsenal will be heading to Anfield in their Premier League clash against Liverpool this Saturday. Arsene Wenger’s side are just one point ahead the Anfield giants, but do have an outstanding match against Southampton as their last week’s fixture against the Saints was cancelled, owing to the Claude Peul’s side involvement in the EFL Cup against Manchester United.
Considering how stack up it is at the top of the table and how difficult competing for the Champions League competition is right now, winning the match is very important to both the teams.
However, the Gunners could be without their star playmaker Mesut Ozil for the fixture. The former Real Madrid midfielder was absent in his side training on Wednesday due to illness and faces a race against time to be fit when they visit Anfield. The German international missed two matches earlier in January due to same issue but the Emirates club are hoping he will be fit by the time they play Liverpool.
Ozil, 28, has played featured 29 times for Arsenal this campaign in all competitions, having seen the net nine times creating brilliant eight more assists for his teammates. But in recent times, the 28-year-old has gone off the boil for Ozil and he has been under severe criticism from all his fans due to poor and non-impressive performances. But given his ability and his creativeness, the German No. 10 absence for Arsenal could be advantageous for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have been struggling hard in recent weeks against relegated sides and losing 3-1- to Leicester City on Monday night. The Reds have won just one Premier League fixture since the start of the New Year, the Merseyside would be hoping to earn all three and getting back to their winning ways when the welcome Arsenal.
Having scored against the Foxes who have failed to seen the net since the turn of the year, plenty of questions have been raised about their leaky defence. Therefore, they will be in joyous moment with Ozil’s temporary absent for his side.
Ozil when fully fit on his day, can tear apart opposition defences with his experience and his amazing range of passing. With his established telepathic understanding with Alexis Sanchez, the duo has the ability to change a game surprisingly in a matter of few magical moments. Having improved on their goal-scoring ability this season, the presence of the duo could spark problem for Liverpool to deal with.
Undeniably, Ozil has been inconsistent for Arsenal in recent weeks, it’s a well known fact that he has always been nowhere to found for his side in crucial games against the big oppositions in the past. But Ozil class and quality cannot be denied and it is only a matter of time before he bounces back to his brilliant best.
Be it as it may, if he isn’t fit for the Gunners against the Reds, there is doubt that the match would come easy for Liverpool, having one lesser threat (Sanchez) to worry about.