Jurgen Klopp has been warned that Liverpool could be 'ripped to shreds' by Arsenal if a certain tactic is used at the weekend. The Gunners are set to welcome the Merseyside club to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday as they look to retain their place at the top of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's side have failed to win in each of their previous five attempts versus Liverpool, with the German head coach winning the last two fixtures. The Arsenal boss will be looking to set the record straight, with the club heading into the bout in a rich vein of form.
In contrast, Liverpool have struggled to pick up any sort of momentum and they will be looking to use the tie as a catalyst for a fresh start. Klopp's side head into the fixture off the back of a 2-0 win over Rangers in the Champions League but it wasn't plain sailing.
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In a bid to fire Liverpool into form, the German boss picked four attackers in a new formation to face the Scottish giants. And, the Reds have been warned by Paul Merson that they could struggle against Arsenal if they employ a similar system at the weekend.
"This is a harder game for Arsenal than the Tottenham one and I say this because the fans and the players were naturally hyped for the derby," the former Arsenal midfielder wrote in a column for Sportskeeda . "If Arsenal win against Liverpool and manage to stay close to Manchester City in the coming months, they could well be contenders for the Premier League title this season.
"They need to keep their players fit, but Mikel Arteta will believe the Gunners have reasons to believe they can go all the way. Liverpool played against Rangers in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday and won quite comfortably, while Arsenal are in UEFA Europa League action on Thursday.
"The Reds will have a bit more rest heading into the much-anticipated Premier League clash, but on current form, Arsenal are probably favourites as things stand," the Sky Sports pundit added. "Liverpool played four forwards against Rangers and dominated the game as they secured a 2-0 win at Anfield.
"Against Arsenal, though, I think they'll get ripped to shreds if they play Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara against the likes of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard as the Gunners trio have been in sublime form this season.
"Roberto Firmino could come back into the team for this one, while Fabinho could slot into midfield to give them some more protection away from home. Just fancy Arsenal, but I'm not as confident as I was against Tottenham.
"There was no way Arsenal were going to lose that game, I'm not as sure with this one as it represents a different test for the table toppers. This is a massive game for the Gunners and could be one of the biggest tests of Arteta's managerial career so far."
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