Even though it seemed like the English Premier League is wrapped up, the best football league in the world will have an exciting end. Manchester City was leading the pack for most of the year. Yet, the difference between them and Liverpool is now just four points, with a game in hand for the Reds. However, that game in hand is against an Arsenal team that is playing some great football. As their match can have some serious implications, here are three predictions for Arsenal vs Liverpool.
Arsenal v Liverpool predictions
Liverpool will stumble
With all due respect to Liverpool, they are going to stumble here. Their schedule as of late has been fairly easy, as they have only faced one top-10 team in the last eight games. Apart from that, they also played five of those games at home, which is a significant advantage for them. Yet, now they will be facing an Arsenal squad that is one of the best teams in the league in 2022. Since the 1st of January and their loss to Manchester City, Arsenal have won five and drawn only one game. Liverpool has also been great in the new year, with eight wins and a draw, but they also played more games.
Arsenal and Liverpool played once this season and Liverpool won 4-0, which sounds good for the Reds coming into this game. However, Arsenal has completely consolidated since then and they have been playing beautiful football. This will by no means be an easy game for the EPL title hopefuls, especially since Arsenal needs these points to continue their fight for a return to the top four. It would be very difficult to say the result, but our prediction here would be 3-2 for the North London giants.
Mohamed Salah will dominate again, but it will not be enough
With the Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski hat tricks in the Champions League, and with the recent Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick against Tottenham, many have forgotten to include Mohamed Salah in the discussions about the best player on the planet right now. The Liverpool maestro is having another incredible season and his 28 goals are the reason why Liverpool is fighting so hard for a championship many believed was lost. Of course, Diogo Jota helped with his 17, and Sadio Mane added 14, but we are all well aware of how Salah impacts this team.
Unfortunately, it will likely not be enough. He will do great, of course, as he is completely unstoppable. In all honesty, it is very difficult to plan to stop the Egyptian wizard, as he can hurt a team from all kinds of positions. What will happen is that Arsenal will look to keep Liverpool at bay by controlling the midfield and cutting off other players. Salah will still get his shots and likely score, but while he can carry a team against the likes of Norwich or Burnley, that does not work against teams like Arsenal, which have the manpower and the momentum to take on Liverpool.
This will be the end of Liverpool's title challenge
Now, it is difficult to say what will happen next, as Manchester City has lost points in some games they really should have won. Thus, it is incredibly hard to predict whether they will stumble again. However, all things considered, if Liverpool loses this game, it will likely be the end of their title challenge. Liverpool has been emptying out the tank in these last few weeks, as they have played one game every three to four days. It has gone well, as they have won eight straight and due to Manchester City mishaps, they reduced their lead to just four, potentially one point, if they win this game. However, playing some minuscule opponents in a row, unless it is at the end of the year, is a double-edged sword. Due to their lighter schedule up until now, Liverpool has a very tough schedule ahead.
In the next few weeks, apart from the Champions League matchup, they are going to play, the Reds have Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Newcastle away from home. Additionally, they have Manchester United, Tottenham, and Everton at home. Liverpool will not have an easy time against any of these teams. While Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham are obvious, they are also not going to glide through Everton, Villa, and Newcastle as well. Villa is playing some reinvigorating football under Steven Gerrard, Newcastle is a much better team after the January transfer window, while Everton is in a relegation battle and they will try very hard not to give Liverpool, their cross-town rivals, a chance to relegate them. It seems like too much in too short of a time, so we can predict that Liverpool will be out of the title race after this Arsenal game.