Liverpool-Arsenal Preview

Liverpool vs Arsenal

Tuesday 21 April 2009,

Anfield

Kickoff: 20:00

Liverpool

Liverpool defeated Blackburn 4-0 in their last league match, the Reds' fifth straight league win.

Winning all of their last five league matches has given Liverpool the full 15 points available and sees the Reds hold second place in the league, three points clear of third-placed Chelsea and only one point behind league leaders Manchester United, although the Red Devils still have a match in hand.

Liverpool have been hit with the bad news that captain Steven Gerrard will miss this match, after the midfielder failed to recover from the groin injury that saw him miss Liverpool's second-leg Champions League match against Chelsea last Tuesday.

Arsenal

Arsenal beat Wigan 4-1 in their last league encounter, the Gunners' fifth straight league win and 18th straight league match without a loss.

Picking up maximum points from their last five matches has seen Arsenal all but secure fourth place in the Premier League, as they trail third placed Chelsea by six points but are seven points of clear of fifth-placed Aston Villa.

Arsenal's recent injury problems in their defensive line seem to be getting no better. In addition to missing Manuel Almunia and William Gallas, the Gunners will be without Gael Clichy and Johan Djourou; Bacary Sagna is doubtful with a virus.

Prediction

With both teams featuring in the quarterfinals of this season's Champions League (and Arsenal set to contest the semifinals), the incredible quality of both sides is clearly evident.

Liverpool most definitely have much more to play for of the two teams; both sides are practically secure in qualifying for next season's Champions League, but Liverpool are also still in contention for the Premier League title and need to pick up all of their remaining points if they are to have any hope of catching leaders Man Utd.

The absence of skipper Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly a huge blow for the Liverpool squad, but the Reds have shown that they are a very capable side without him after their 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn last weekend.

Arsenal, too, are still capable of performing at the very top level in spite of their massive absentee list, but the loss of key backline players will likely prove to have the bigger impact out of the two teams' injury troubles, with Liverpool's attack in deadly form of late, scoring 14 goals in their last four league matches.

The two teams drew 1-1 earlier this season at Emirates Stadium and last season's Liverpool vs. Arsenal fixture ended with the same scoreline.

However, with Arsenal struggling to keep it together in defence and Liverpool yet to post a single league loss at Anfield so far this season, the Reds will go into this must-win encounter as favourites in what should be yet another classic showdown in the final weeks of the 2008-09 football season.

Find the best betting guide and odds for the match at our Liverpool vs Arsenal betting and preview page now!

Then read our previews of Wednesday night's matches - Chelsea vs Everton and Man Utd vs Portsmouth with the best bookmakers odds too.