FA Cup Betting Preview: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

January 7, 2024

A place in the FA Cup fourth round will be on the line when Arsenal and Liverpool face off at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The FA Cup resumes with the third round proper this weekend, with Premier League clubs entering the equation. The action began on Thursday night, with Crystal Palace and Everton playing out a goalless stalemate at the Selhurst Park.

The clash between these two Premier League giants is arguably the standout matchup of the third round, along with the long-awaited North East derby between Sunderland and Newcastle United.

With 22 FA Cup titles between them, Arsenal and Liverpool are two of the most successful clubs in the competition’s history, and have faced off against each other 17 times, including three finals.

In fact, only Manchester United (10 times) have knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup more often than The Gunners (8), and vice versa - only United (8) have eliminated Arsenal from the competition more often than Liverpool (5).

The Gunners have won their last three FA Cup meetings against Liverpool. The Merseysiders last beat Arsenal in football’s oldest club competition in the 2001 final, when Michael Owen scored two late goals to seal a 2-1 victory at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Both sides have already locked horns once this season, with Arsenal earning a point (1-1 draw) at Anfield just before Christmas.

All in all, Arsenal have won just one of their last eight matches against Liverpool in all competitions (losing 4) - a 3-2 victory at the Emirates in the Premier League last season.

Arsenal Betting Preview (+100 at MyBookie)

Mikel Arteta's side needs to overcome a dip in form and they need to fight back as soon as possible. The Liverpool game represents a fine opportunity for Arsenal to turn things around as the Gunners have a 13-day break to recuperate after Sunday's FA Cup tie with Liverpool.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are set for the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Fulham on Wednesday, so Jurgen Klopp will have to rotate the squad.

The Gunners have seen their strong run of form disappear during the festive period. Mikel Arteta's men have lost their last two games, suffering frustrating defeats to London rivals West Ham United and Fulham last week.

With just one victory in their last six matches across all competitions, Arsenal are looking to claim their first win since they beat Brighton 2-0 on 17 December.

They have lost back-to-back games with London rivals West Ham United on 28 December and Fulham on New Year’s Eve, as Mikel Arteta's side hope to turn things around in their first game of the calendar year.

While Arsenal’s form has been pretty inconsistent of late, their FA Cup pedigree – especially at home – is truly exceptional. The Gunners have lost just three of their last 49 home games (W36 D10) in the competition, going down 1-0 against Blackburn Rovers in 2012-13, 2-1 against Watford in 2015-16 and 3-1 against Manchester United in 2018-19.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is also touch-and-go with his calf issue, leaving Mikel Arteta at risk of being without a single natural left-back for Sunday's showdown.

Aaron Ramsdale could get the nod over David Raya in the FA Cup, while Jakub Kiwior is set to start at left-back. Elsewhere, Mikel Arteta is expected to field his strongest available starting XI, with Gabriel Jesus leading the line.

Arsenal will also be without Japan’s Takehiro Tomiyasu and Egypt's Mohamed Elneny, while Thomas Partey missed out on a place in Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations squad as the midfielder recovers from thigh surgery.

Liverpool Betting Preview (+250 at MyBookie)

Jurgen Klopp’s side travel to North London as the Premier League leaders look to compete on four fronts, having reached the League Cup semi-finals as well as the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League.

Fresh off the back of their impressive 4-2 victory against Newcastle United on New Year's Day, it’s Liverpool who head into this FA Cup third round contest sitting top of the Premier League table. They hold a five-point lead over Arsenal in fourth and Jurgen Klopp's men will play their next league game in two weeks when they travel to face Bournemouth on 21 January.

The Reds have only been eliminated from the FA Cup at this stage in one of the last 12 seasons, losing 2-1 at Wolves in 2018-19.

The Liverpool manager will be bereft of the services of a host of first-team players. Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas continued their rehabilitation as the pair were pictured training at the AXA Training Centre on Friday. They join fellow long-term absentees Joal Matip, Stefan Bajcetic, Thiago Alcantara, and Ben Doak on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has been ruled out of Liverpool’s next two games after suffering a hamstring injury in the win against Newcastle, while Japan’s Wataru Endo and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah have departed to compete in the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations respectively.

Caoimhin Kelleher has been Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper in cup games in recent seasons, but we won't be surprised if Alisson starts this one, while the Irishman is set to play against Fulham on Wednesday.

With Robertson and Tsimikas both ruled out, Joe Gomez should continue at left-back.

Possible Starting Lineups of Arsenal and Liverpool

Arsenal: Aaron Ramsdale - Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jakub Kiwior - Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz - Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli. (4-3-3)

Liverpool: Alisson - Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez - Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones - Harvey Elliott, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz. (4-3-3)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Many would agree that Arsenal don't look as good as they were last season because they were figured out tactically, yet they remain one of the strongest Premier League sides and they are quite solid at the Emirates.

The 2-0 loss to West Ham United on 28 December was their first defeat at the Emirates since May and the Gunners are keen to return to winning ways against a Liverpool side that has a number of missing players, including their star Mohamed Salah.

Aside from an away defeat at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in their final Europa League group game - a match that was essentially a dead rubber - Jurgen Klopp's men are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions (winning seven).

The Liverpool boss, however, is forced to mastermind a strategy to get the better of Arsenal without key player Mohamed Salah and knowing his nature, it’s all set for a really open game of football at the Emirates.

Both teams don't want to lose the game but neither manager wants a replay of it either. This means that we will probably witness a much different game compared to their league clash a few weeks ago, as the tactical battle will most likely be replaced by more direct football.

Spooky Express Free Play: Over 3 Goals +105 at MyBookie for 6/10 Units

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