Liverpool vs Arsenal team news: Saka out, Szoboszlai and Wirtz doubts – form, key battles and Beijing kick-off time
SportPulses Desk··5 min
Arsenal travel to Anfield on Sunday 1 November level on points with leaders Manchester City but without Bukayo Saka and after a League Cup shock at Fleetwood. Liverpool are unbeaten in five. Everything you need to know before the biggest game of the Premier League weekend.
Key points
- Liverpool vs Arsenal kicks off on Sunday 1 November at 16:30 GMT (00:30 Monday Beijing time) at Anfield.
- Arsenal are without Bukayo Saka (thigh); Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz are doubts.
- Arsenal are level on 21 points with leaders Manchester City; Liverpool are fourth on 15 and unbeaten in five.
Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday 1 November in the stand-out game of Premier League matchweek 9. Kick-off is 16:30 in the UK, which is 00:30 on Monday 2 November in Beijing. Arsenal are second, level on 21 points with Manchester City; Liverpool are fourth on 15. Both teams played League Cup ties this week, with very different outcomes.
Arsenal team news
Bukayo Saka is out. He injured his thigh in the 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich on 21 October, and Mikel Arteta has said the absence will be measured in weeks, with a further scan due seven to ten days after the first. A BBC report put the likely lay-off at six to eight weeks. According to the latest injury reports, William Saliba is also out with a back problem and Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt with a hip issue, while Declan Rice is available after a hamstring scare against Everton.
Arsenal have played twice without Saka: a 2-0 home win over Everton in which Ezri Konsa and Gabriel scored, and Tuesday’s League Cup exit on penalties at League Two Fleetwood Town, when Arteta rested several first-choice players. Eberechi Eze, who scored after replacing Saka in Munich, and Noni Madueke are the natural options on the right.
Liverpool team news
Dominik Szoboszlai has a hamstring problem and missed the win over Brighton; Andoni Iraola has described him as “close”. Florian Wirtz twisted his ankle against Brighton but took and scored a penalty in Wednesday’s League Cup shootout against Chelsea, a good sign for his fitness. Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike are among the players listed as out.
Form guide
Liverpool have won four games in a row in the league and Champions League and then beat Chelsea on penalties in the League Cup after a 1-1 draw. Alexander Isak has scored in three straight Premier League games and has six league goals. Arsenal have the joint-best defensive record in the league, with five goals conceded in eight games, and they are unbeaten in the Champions League after a draw in Munich.
Key battles
Isak against Arsenal’s centre-backs: Liverpool’s in-form striker against a defence that has rarely been breached, but which may be without Saliba. The right flank: without Saka, Arsenal lose their main source of chances, and Liverpool’s left side will be tested by whoever replaces him. Midfield control: Rice against Liverpool’s midfield, where Szoboszlai’s fitness and Wirtz’s involvement will shape how Iraola sets up.
What’s at stake
An Arsenal win would keep them level with or above City, depending on City’s result against Brighton on Saturday, and put them nine points clear of Liverpool. A Liverpool win would cut the gap to Arsenal to three points. A draw would leave Liverpool six behind, with the international break two rounds away.
How to watch
Kick-off: Sunday 1 November, 16:30 GMT, 00:30 Monday Beijing time, at Anfield. In the UK the game is live on Sky Sports. SportPulses has a data preview for this game, with both teams’ home and away records, last five results and the key match-up, plus live scores on the night.
