Chris Sutton makes bold Arsenal vs Liverpool prediction | Football

Chris Sutton has backed Arsenal to beat ‘bang-average’ Liverpool ‘pretty comfortably’ when the Premier League leaders face the reigning champions this week.

The Gunners continue their title charge with a home match against defending champions Liverpool on Thursday night.

With a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, Arsenal are favourites to win their first title since 2004.

Liverpool were widely tipped to retain the trophy before a ball was kicked but Arne Slot’s side have dropped off massively, although a recent resurgence has at least taken them back into the Champions League spots.

The Reds beat Arsenal 1-0 in the reverse fixture back in August but Sutton expects Arsenal to get revenge ‘pretty comfortable’ at the Emirates Stadium.

‘Liverpool badly missed Hugo Ekitike in their draw against Fulham, and put in another lacklustre display,’ he told BBC Sport. ‘Arne Slot’s side are nine games unbeaten now, so their recent results have been all right on paper.

‘It’s their performances that are the problem, though. When you see them with your own eyes, they are miles off where they were when they won the title last season, and are nowhere near where Arsenal are at now either.

‘When Liverpool beat them at Anfield in August, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was criticised for being too cautious, as he often is in big games like this.

‘It has to be different this time. This Liverpool team have been leaking goals all season, so Gunners fans are not going to accept Arteta sitting back.

‘I doubt Arteta will do it this time, because Arsenal are at home and Liverpool are there for the taking.

‘In fact, there should be zero negativity in the way they are set up. Manchester City have dropped points twice in the past few days, so Arsenal are six points clear.

‘It’s just over six years since Arteta took charge, and this is not the time for him to be cautious.

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‘The Gunners should go for it, because they are on a different level to Liverpool, and they may as well be in a different league.

‘No-one thinks Slot’s side are going to win the Premier League anymore, even though they are fourth, and they don’t look capable of flexing their muscles and going on a long winning run, either.

‘That is not going to happen. This is a bang-average Liverpool team this season, and Arsenal should be able to exploit all of their weaknesses.

‘It should be pretty comfortable for the league leaders too. They are carrying Viktor Gyokeres a bit, because he has just not fired for them up front, but it does not seem to matter, they are winning anyway.

‘Declan Rice is just majestic in the middle of the park, he is just phenomenal, and they have got lots of different ways of scoring goals.’

While Arsenal beat Bournemouth 3-2 last time out, Liverpool scored and conceded injury-time goals in a 2-2 draw with Fulham.

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