Arsenal club captain Martin Odegaard expects his side to face a 'huge test' against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.
The Gunners can return to the top of the Premier League with a win against the Reds which would see Mikel Arteta's side move 14 points clear of their out of form rivals. Liverpool have won just two games in the Premier League so far this season and are desperate for a result to turn their fortunes around.
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes technical director Edu pulled off a masterstroke in the transfer market by signing Fabio Vieira for £34million from Porto, claiming the Portuguese playmaker can become better than Liverpool star Luis Diaz. Arteta meanwhile has backed Ben White to be called up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the 2022 World Cup with Trent Alexander-Arnold enduring a difficult start to the season.
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Speaking in his pre-Liverpool programme notes, Odegaard expects the Reds to be 'desperate' for a win and commended Granit Xhaka for his recent performances which saw him win the Arsenal Player of the Month award. The Gunners captain said: "Being top of the table helps your confidence, but it also creates a big buzz and feel-good factor around the club.
"Personally, I’ve noticed the lift in the atmosphere at games since the end of last season, and it’s got even better this season. It’s improving all the time, we’re playing well and the supporters are certainly playing their part in it too.
"I was very happy for Granit last week when he won our player of the month award – he really deserves that and he’s started the season so well. Everyone knows he’s had to go through some tough moments at the club but all of us here see how hard he works every day in training.
"He’s always been like that and now it’s great to see him get recognition for that work in the games as well. I think he’s at his best again now, he’s getting support from the fans and you can see what effect that has on the pitch. He has a crucial role for us in the team and everyone can see his importance at the moment."
Arsenal have taken Liverpool's place in the Premier League as Manchester City's closest competitors despite Arteta playing down talk of a potential title challenge from his side. Odegaard continued: "Now our challenge is to keep our league run going against Liverpool today – another big test for us in the Premier League.
"It’s a special one for me too, as when I was younger my dad was a big, big Liverpool fan. This current Liverpool side is obviously a very strong team, and this is another challenge for us today.
"What Liverpool have done over the last few years speaks for itself and although they haven’t started as well this time as they have in previous seasons, their squad is full of quality. They have had a few injuries this season, but those players are coming back and this is another huge test for us today at the Emirates.
"Liverpool could be dangerous as well today because they will be desperate to show that they should be higher up the table. We’ve got to be ready for that – when teams feel they have something to prove, that can lift them, so all we expect today is a big battle and a huge test.
"We’re at the top of the table, so teams will be even more motivated against us to show their qualities. It’s up to us to rise to that and play our game, keep performing as we have been, and hopefully, we can get another good result here at home like we did last weekend."
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