Liverpool welcome Arsenal to Anfield for a pivotal Premier League encounter, with pundit predictions sharply divided. Jamie Carragher has backed a home victory, while Ian Wright expects Arsenal to leave Merseyside with all three points.
Andoni Iraola's Liverpool side arrive in strong form after beating Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, while Arsenal were eliminated by Fleetwood Town 24 hours earlier. Prior to that cup win, Liverpool had claimed victories over Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth, with a defeat to Manchester City their only blemish so far this season. Arsenal are aiming to leapfrog Enzo Maresca's side at the top of the table after they lost to Brighton on Saturday.
Carragher and Wright Back Different Winners
Writing in The Telegraph, Jamie Carragher said: "Here is a question I did not think I would be asking at any stage this season: will Liverpool win the Premier League?" He added: "It would be premature to describe this Sunday's Anfield fixture as a title duel. Arsenal are better equipped to defend their crown, while Liverpool are a work in progress."
Carragher continued: "Whatever the outcome this weekend, Arsenal will leave Merseyside as the overwhelming favourites to claim back-to-back titles. They have a six-point lead over Liverpool. Should that extend to nine, Andoni Iraola's primary objective coming into this season will remain unchanged; qualifying for the Champions League will represent a promising start to his reign." On the Stick to Football podcast, he said: "I actually do think 1-1 but I'm too bias. I'll go 2-1, Liverpool."
Ian Wright, part of Sky Sports' coverage, initially suggested a draw before changing his mind. He said: "I think we beat them. This is the game that kind of defines Liverpool if they are coming back. You're looking at [Alexis] Mac Allister, even [Cody] Gakpo [to step up]... but deep down, I really think we beat them. 2-1 Arsenal."
Keane, Neville, Shearer and Sutton Weigh In
Roy Keane prompted Wright to alter his prediction but did not back an Arsenal win himself. He said: "I'm thinking draw, Liverpool did well against City until the red card, 1-1?" That defeat remains Liverpool's sole loss of the campaign.
Gary Neville, also covering the match for television, joked on Stick to Football: "Arsenal will play for a point." The Gunners have previously faced criticism for not going all out for wins away at Liverpool and Manchester City.
Alan Shearer predicted a score draw, telling Betfair: "I'm going to go for a score draw. I just think with the form that Liverpool are in, I know Arsenal got dumped out of the cup in the week, but it was a very different team, so it'll be a different mentality going into it." He added: "Arsenal have to bounce back and it's going to be a really tough game and it's a tough one to call because Liverpool have got a lot going for them at the moment. I think both teams will take a draw, and I don't think it'd be a bad result for either team."
Chris Sutton, writing in his BBC Sport predictions column, said: "Liverpool proved me wrong against Brighton last week, because they didn't just win, they played well too. After conceding so many goals last season, you can see they have really tightened things up. Arsenal don't give much away either, so this is going to be very close. Alexander Isak is scoring goals again for the Reds, and they will be full of confidence coming into this game."
Sutton added: "You could make a case for it ending up a repeat of the result we saw at the end of last season, when Dominik Szoboszlai's brilliant free-kick meant Liverpool edged a 1-0 win. I do think we will see the same scoreline, just with a different winner."
