The Premier League games are about to kick off and for the Merseyside club, Liverpool, a trip to the Emirates have been scheduled. On 14th of August, Klopp will be travelling to London with a hope of securing all the three points away from Arsene Wenger’s side, Arsenal. The Gunners, on the other hand, will be hoping to get the best result out of the fixture, and for that, the side will need to be on their toes as many of their first team members will be missing the game.
Firstly, the side will be missing the German sensation Mesut Ozil and the French forward Olivier Giroud as the pair have just returned from their post-Euro 2016 break and are not match fit yet. Besides that, the Emirates outfit are having the major concern over the fitness of their players, especially on the back. Both Gabriel and Mertesacker have been ruled out of the fixture due to their respective injuries, hence, the manager will have to play either Calum Chambers or the new acquisition Rob Holding.
Furthermore, even the Merseysiders have problems regarding the same, as their vice-captain James Milner is having a foot injury and even the new arrival, Marko Grujic was taken off against Mainz following the problems in his ankle and the major shock is of Daniel Sturridge, who missed the last couple of games due to a hip injury. Besides all of it, the side is already without the services of Mamadou Sakho, Lucas Leiva, Joe Gomez and Loris Karius due to their respective injuries.
Here are the three Key Battles for the upcoming fixture, that might decide the course of the game:
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Bellerin vs Coutinho-
The battle of Speed or what can be called as the Fast and the Furious. Both players are known for their pace and with that, they can exploit almost every opponent, but here, these two men will be looking forward to cancel each other out in every department. We all are aware of the fact that Coutinho loves to cut inside the half rather than going for a cross, hence, the Arsenal’s full-back will have to stay alert in those situations. Besides that, Bellerin is known for his quick and forward run and can defend pretty well as well, and Coutinho can split the game seconds, hence, this will be a real key battle in this game.
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Can vs Ramsey-
With the absence of Mesut Ozil, Arsene Wenger might go with the Wales international Aaron Ramsey as an attacking midfielder and in that case, the 25-year-old will be shattering against the German international, Emre Can. The 22-year-old German was an ever present personnel for the side last season, and the same form is expected from him. On the other hand, the Wales international, who had a great Euro 2016, will be looking to exploit the German’s tactics with his sheer work rate and passing techniques. The 25-year-old midfielder is known to play an intelligent game, but still, he cannot really match the ethics of Mesut Ozil, but he has his pros at his side, hence, Can needs to be careful while dealing with him.
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Lovren vs Sanchez-
With the absence of Olivier Giroud, Wenger will most probably be using his most precious possession Alexis Sanchez as a lone forward and in that case, he will have to battle it out against Liverpool’s number one; Dejan Lovren. The Croatian international gave a physical presence in the Liverpool squad when the team came under the reins of Klopp and has cemented his place in the lineup, but he still needs to work more as he sometimes loses his marker too easily and a player like Alexis Sanchez could really make a best out of it.
