Ex-Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson is expecting his former club and Liverpool to share the spoils when the two teams play each other this weekend.

The Gunners have been decimated by injuries and suspensions to key players but, writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson says he believes the home side will secure a point:

“Arsenal will be without three of their four best players, with Declan Rice being the only exception.”

“Liverpool will know these kind of opportunities to face a weakened Arsenal team will not come around very often. But I doubt they’ll get a win. A draw in the end would be a great result for Arsenal.”

What score has Merson gone for

The Sky Sports pundit has predicted a 1-1 draw, which is a scoreline that some supporters will be happy with considering the selection problems that manager Mikel Arteta is facing.

A defeat would put Arsenal seven points adrift of the league leaders and (potentially) six behind Manchester City so avoiding defeat is very important in the context of the title race.

If Arteta’s men can grab a win, it would be even better, but the absence of William Saliba, Martin Odegaard and possibly Bukayo Saka does make things difficult.

There is hope that one key Arsenal player will return to the starting XI

Although Arteta said after the win over Shakhtar midweek that Saka’s participation against Liverpool is unlikely, subsequent reports have suggested that he is winning his race to be fit.

Of course, with hamstring injuries, there is always a danger that he could suffer a recurrence but, considering it is such a big game, it may be worth taking a risk. We shall have to wait and see if he is named in the team on Sunday.

Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here