"It’s hard to win there" - Danny Murphy makes early prediction for Liverpool vs Arsenal
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy backed his former club to beat Arsenal in the headliner Premier League clash this weekend. Jurgen Klopp's side will take on Mikel Arteta's side in the top-of-the-table clash at Anfield on Saturday, Dec. 23.
Murphy has claimed the best result Arsenal could hope for at Anfield is a draw. He insisted that it is difficult to win at Anfield, and the Reds came back to secure a 2-2 draw from 0-2 down in this fixture last season. He backed the Reds to clinch a victory and regain the top spot in the Premier League table.
Murphy told talkSPORT, as quoted by TBR Football:
“I don’t think Liverpool lose. I think the best Arsenal get is a draw. Even last year when they went 2-0 up, Arsenal, Liverpool pinned them back. It’s hard to win there. In fact, I expect Liverpool to beat them."
Jurgen Klopp's side will be keen to get back to winning ways after failing to win their last two games. They lost 2-1 to Union SG in the Europa League and were contained to a 0-0 draw by Manchester United in the Premier League.
Arsenal, meanwhile, regained the top spot in the table with a 2-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion last week. They will be keen to regain their spot but a defeat would see the Reds overtake them in the table.
Liverpool legend urges Jurgen Klopp to start 24-year-old star against Arsenal
Liverpool icon Phil Thompson has urged Jurgen Klopp to drop Darwin Nunez against Arsenal and start Cody Gakpo instead. The former Reds defender insisted that Gakpo deserves his shot ahead of misfiring Nunez.
Thompson claimed that Nunez needs to work on his basics and finishing and also urged Klopp to play Gakpo as the focal point of his attack. He told talkSPORT:
“You might see Gakpo, I like Gakpo, he poses a new threat completely. I like Nunez, he’s just having one of those spells at the moment where I think he got himself a little bit confused because everybody was talking about his relationship with Mo Salah when they were assisting each other and passing to each other."
Thompson added:
"He’s forgotten what he’s done best and that’s having a shot from anywhere and he’s not doing the same thing anymore. So, he has to get back to his basics. But I would think Cody Gakpo has to come into the manager’s mind, particularly for the Arsenal game.”
Gakpo has started just seven Premier League games this season for Liverpool and has come off the bench on eight occasions. The Dutchman has registered six goals and two assists in 21 appearances this season across competitions. Darwin Nunez, on the contrary, has seven goals and seven assists to his name in 24 games across competitions.