The Reds boss has got a squad that is returning to near full health following an injury-hit start to the season, and he’s got a couple of weapons at his disposal who have hurt Arsenal before.
It seems that all the former Arsenal players have been queuing up this week to explain how their former club will wipe the floor with Liverpool.
There was Emmanuel Petit, who said that the Reds were “sloppy, terrible and broken” and ripe for a kicking on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium.
William Gallas said that it would be “a big disappointment” for the Gunners if they didn’t win the game because of the state the Reds are in, adding that this was “a great opportunity” for Mikel Arteta’s side to show their title credentials.
Paul Merson said that Jurgen Klopp’s side would be “ripped to shreds” if the German picked a similar team to the one that beat Rangers in midweek, because a midfield of Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara couldn’t stand up to the Arsenal trio of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard.
It isn’t just the former Arsenal players either, with Chris Sutton writing in his BBC Sport predictions column to say that Liverpool will not just get beaten on Sunday, they will lose 4-1.
Jurgen Klopp and his squad probably aren’t bothered about what people have been saying, but it will be a relatively new sensation for them to be written off by so many people, especially at a time when they are getting most of their players back fit.
Ibrahima Konate has returned to add to the central defensive options, and the Frenchman could be a surprise starter on Sunday, and while the seemingly cursed Arthur Melo has gone down in training this week, other than him there is now more options in midfield.
It is the attack that will really excite Klopp though.
The German started with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez against Rangers in midweek, with Roberto Firmino later appearing from the bench.
Utilising all five of his attacking options surely isn’t something that we’ll see from Klopp in every game, although you wouldn’t put it past him, but you could tell his excitement at having them all available when he spoke of the Reds’ different formations and options at his press conference on Friday.
One player’s absence which went under the radar at the beginning of the season was Jota, whose start against Rangers was just his second of the campaign, and a second impressive one after he was so good at leading the press against Ajax.
Klopp brought him off midway through the second half in midweek, and that could well be an indication that he will start against Arteta’s table-toppers, who won’t be pleased to see him.
The Portuguese has a stunning record of seven goals from just five starts for the Reds against Arsenal, including a brace in last season’s Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates and a crucial opener in March’s league game there.
Jota’s versatility and ability to play on the left of the attack and through the middle, and indeed in more of a No.10 role as we saw in midweek, has come to the fore the longer he’s been with the Reds, and there’s a growing sense that this current attack and setup seems perfect for him to thrive in as he is so important to the press, which has to work in order for everything else to.
If he starts then Liverpool have a very good chance, certainly a better one than many are giving them anyway.
Jota could be the key to just which Liverpool turns up.
