Evening News
Arsenal have announced their side and substitutes to welcome champions Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League tonight.
Mikel Arteta’s side sit in ninth spot in the league standings on 42 points, nine points off the top four and are aiming to climb as high as possible in their remaining nine games.
The Gunners head into the league game having lost just one of their last eight home league games and they won the last encounter between the two teams at the Emirates Stadium, edging out the visitors 2-1.
Arteta is without David Luiz this evening as he has a knee issue. Granit Xhaka is ill.
In goal, Arteta picks Bernd Leno tonight, while at the back he opts for Calum Chambers and Kieran Tierney as full-backs, with Rob Holding and Gabriel in the centre.
Further up the pitch Arteta looks towards Thomas Partey and Dani Ceballos in midfield, while Nicolas Pepe and Martin Odegaard support Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.
The Arsenal boss can look to his bench if he needs to make changes, where options available to him include Willian and Eddie Nketiah.
Arsenal Team vs Liverpool
Leno, Chambers, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Ceballos, Pepe, Odegaard, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Substitutes: Ryan, Bellerin, Cedric, Mari, Elneny, Nelson, Willian, Martinelli, Nketiah
Roberto Firmino returns to the Liverpool starting line-up for the Premier League clash at Arsenal this evening.
Firmino, who had missed the last three games with a knee problem, takes the place of Diogo Jota against the Gunners at the Emirates.
The Brazilian represents one of two changes from the side that won 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out almost three weeks ago.
James Milner comes into midfield in the place of Gini Wijnaldum, the Dutchman benched for only the third time in the Premier League this season.
Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara complete the midfield, with Firmino joined by regular front three colleagues Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in attack.
Alisson Becker continues in goal, with Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips the centre-backs and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson at full-back.
A victory will move Liverpool two points off the top four after Chelsea’s shock 5-2 home defeat to struggling West Bromwich Albion earlier in the day.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Kabak, Phillips, Robertson; Fabinho, Milner, Thiago; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
