“Liverpool can exploit all of this” – Chris Sutton Makes Worrying Arsenal Prediction Ahead of Blockbuster Premier League Clash

Former Celtic man Chris Sutton has predicted Liverpool will claim a slender 1-0 win over Arsenal in their Premier League clash. Sutton based his prediction on the injuries and absentees Mikel Arteta has to deal with for the high-voltage encounter against the division leaders.

Arne Slot will take his Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium for their biggest test of the season on Sunday, October 27. The Dutchman has done superbly so far, claiming seven wins in eight Premier League outings (1 defeat) to climb to the top of the rankings. The Gunners, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the season last week, as Bournemouth picked up a shock 2-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium. Arteta’s team slipped to third place as a result, with them now trailing the Reds by four points.

Winning against Liverpool is key for Arsenal’s title ambitions, but Sutton does not think their depleted team will have their way against the in-form Merseysiders.

Chris Sutton Backs Liverpool to Claim Slender Win at Arsenal

In his BBC column, Sutton wrote:

“Liverpool are not helped by having to travel back from RB Leipzig on Wednesday, but Arsenal have bigger problems. Riccardo Calafiori was excellent against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday but he came off after falling awkwardly. I was at the Emirates, and my hunch from seeing what happened is that he will not be fit for Sunday.

“Arsenal already have William Saliba suspended, which is a massive loss, so they will have to reshuffle at the back. There are rumours that Jurrien Timber could be fit to play at left-back, but if not and they go with Oleksandr Zinchenko against Mohamed Salah, you would fancy Salah to get the better of him.”

He continued:

“Liverpool can exploit all of this and then you think about how Arsenal are missing players in an attacking sense. There’s a lot of talk about whether Bukayo Saka might be fit after missing the past two matches, but Martin Odegaard is still out. Without them, Arsenal were unconvincing in front of goal against Shakhtar. Gabriel Jesus does so many good things for the team, but you would never back him to finish.

“So I am basing this prediction on a combination of what I saw against Shakhtar -because Arsenal were really flat all round – all their injury doubts and Saliba’s absence. If Saliba was playing, I wouldn’t be predicting a Liverpool win, but if Calafiori and Timber are not fit I don’t feel Arsenal have adequate cover.”

Sutton’s prediction: Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool

Arsenal and Liverpool have met 206 times over the years, with the former winning 70, the latter 78, and 58 games ending all square.