Liverpool vs. Arsenal: 2 Clubs at Crossroads Meet in EPL Saturday Showdown

Who'd have thought back in August, when Liverpool journeyed to the Emirates and proceeded to cut through a toothless Arsenal side reduced to 10 men, that the Gunners would find themselves three spots ahead of the Reds in the league table ahead of the return fixture in March?

Arsene Wenger. And maybe Pat Rice.

Yet, that's where these two teams find themselves: Arsenal fourth, Liverpool seventh, ahead of Saturday's vital clash at Anfield. Seven points separate the two.

Both teams have rediscovered their form as of late.

Arsenal overcame a 2-0 deficit at home against Spurs last weekend before going on to thrash their north London rivals for five unanswered in a match that ended at a comfortable 5-2 waltz for Wenger's men.

After an 11-day swing in which the Gunners had seen their European prospects all but come to a crashing close (they trail AC Milan 4-0 on aggregate ahead of next Tuesday's return leg) and their FA Cup aspirations torn asunder by a dedicated Sunderland side in a 2-0 humiliation at the Stadium of Light (where Arsenal's performance was anything but luminous), they will be looking to continue their recent revenge streak against Liverpool.

Tottenham, who had beaten Arsenal 2-1 in October, already felt that wrath last weekend.

That win against Spurs, who sit seven points ahead of Arsenal in third place in the EPL table, looks to have steeled them ahead of the always-difficult journey to Anfield, where Liverpool have conceded just eight goals this season.

The news on the injury front is far from rosy, however.

Thomas Vermaelen looks likely to miss out due to an ankle injury aggravated in midweek while with the Belgium national team, and Robin van Persie is facing a late fitness test after picking up a groin knock during training with the Netherlands last Tuesday.

If Arsenal are to crack the Liverpool defense, which has been near-impenetrable at Anfield, they will need their skipper, who at last tally accounts for just over 40 percent of all goals scored this season by the Gunners.

One gets the feeling that we'll see RVP trotting out onto the pitch. With Chelsea breathing down Arsenal's necks (the two are level on points, Arsenal maintain a slim advantage in the standings thanks to their 53 goals scored in 2011-12 as opposed to Chelsea's 47), any points taken would be a crucial result.

They will have to earn it, however. Liverpool have enjoyed their own rebirth of late, pushing past the latest Luis Suarez controversy to secure the Carling Cup title last Sunday by way of (what must be said was a dreadful) penalty kick shootout against Cardiff City.

It was the Reds' first trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2006, and it smacked of a newfound positivity going forward.

After such a (by their lofty standards) harrowing run of form since the 2009-10 season, when Liverpool had finished a disappointing seventh, coupled with a sixth-place finish a season ago, the Carling Cup title was the type of victory that augurs hope for not just this season's run-in, but ones to come as well.

Bolstered by the hope that they can compound that glory with a transcendent run to finish the league season, Liverpool will enter Saturday's fixture with a world of confidence.

Liverpool are confident. Arsenal are confident. Sounds like that line from The Dark Knight.

The Reds may also be forced to cope without the services of a key player—in their case, talismanic captain Steven Gerrard, who injured himself early on against Holland on Wednesday night while playing for England, may miss out on this massive match.

The most important omission from Dalglish's side, however, might be Daniel Agger, who looks set to miss at least four weeks with a rib injury. With Glen Johnson also nursing an injury, Liverpool's back line could be vulnerable. Something that Theo Walcott—so good in the second half against Tottenham, will surely have taken note of.

But that doesn't mean for a minute the Reds won't fancy their chances here.

Enter, for example, Dirk Kuyt, the Dutch right winger who played against Gerrard in that England friendly three days ago.

Kuyt is the perfect representation of Liverpool's recent uptick in confidence.

He nabbed Liverpool's second goal in that 2-2 draw with Cardiff City, fired in an excellent penalty (one of the few) in the shootout and set up Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's goal for Holland in midweek.

Not a bad run of form for the Liverpool No. 18.

The Dutchman has a knack for finding the back of the net against Arsenal, and with Vermaelen's inclusion in Saturday's match looking increasingly uncertain (curse you, friendlies!), the Gunners will need to be at their defending best to quell not just Kuyt's menace, but also that of Luis Suarez, who possesses the sort of wile and skill that have undone the Gunners back four on far too many occasions this season.

Two sides barreling toward each other in the quest for a top-four finish. The fact that the match is at Anfield does give Liverpool a definite advantage, but Arsenal have shown some impressive resilience of late.

A 1-1 draw would surprise no one, making it nine draws out of 13 home appearances for the Reds this term.