Match preview: Arsenal vs Liverpool ( Gunners seek Revenge via FA CUP)

After just a little over a week since they last met, Arsenal and Liverpool will be locking horns again. Its hard to describe how i feel prior to this fixture. On one hand it feels like a great chance to right the wrongs of a week ago. To prove that on that occasion we simply didn't turn up as a unit..But on the other hand there's a sick fear that lightening may strike twice... Such was the blow that 5-1 thumping left on me.. It was evident last Wednesday that the players were similarly hit hard by that defeat also, as seen from their limp performance against the poorest United team in decades. On that night , we simply did not look confident at all, and did not play like Arsenal.

When asked if Liverpool was the last team he wanted to play following that humiliation at Anfield, the boss's answer was quite emphatic. He said the fixture provides the players the opportunity to address that ''Accident'' from a mental point of view. Essentially saying that knocking out Liverpool on Sunday will serve as veritable closure. There is no doubt the players and their pride took a collective dent following last Saturday's debacle and according to Arteta, only one thing can get it out of their system. Enough has been said about what went wrong on that fateful day, the fans and players ought to have mourned and licked their wounds enough by now. Its time to rally ourselves and ensure one of the best avenues of a trophy for Arsenal this season doesn't evaporate by the end of today.


So what can we expect from Liverpool? Not a lot of rotation it appears. Their Manager says they have every right to go full strength as they have no commitments in midweek to warrant any change. That may or may not be a good thing considering the fact they have used largely the same lineup in consecutive games against us and Fulham respectively. Fatigue may be a factor there. Nevertheless, they are the team in form going into this encounter and they would be confident in their chances at the Emirates. Suarez and Sturridge have 39 goals between them this season and even though the Uruguayan is in a bit of a goal drought lately, he remains a dangerous customer. They thrive on service though and in my opinion the best way to nullify them is to keep Gerrard and Coutinho as quiet as possible. The Talented Brazilian had a hand at crucial moments in the 3rd and 4th goals we conceded at Anfield (even though we were guilty of giving the ball away cheaply on both occasions). He has a fantastic eye for a pass and we cannot afford to switch off and give him the time and space to find any of those two forwards with through balls. Gerrard on the other hand is still a dangerous outlet for service for the SAS. At the ripe age of 33, his dead ball abilities are still world class. The delivery that led to their opener at our last meeting was a wicked in-swinger that would have troubled any defense. Also in midweek we saw him yet again assist Sturridge with a sublime pass for their equalizer against Fulham. These two men hold nearly 90% of the ammunition in midfield for Liverpool, sort them out and the SAS  partnership will starve. Both are also not the best players defensively (i.e when Liverpool are not in possession). They depend on the youngster, Henderson to do most of the dirty work in that regard. Henderson, credit to him does a good job in tracking opponents runs and buffering his more talented partners in the middle of the park. One of the reasons why he looked so good last time at Anfeild against us was because having gone down by 2 goals so early, our midfield lost its shape and orientation. If we can avoid conceding early again today, Jordan will have a much busier day running around to win back possession indeed.

We on the other  hand, will have to be more focused than we were last time we played these guys. We were literally ambushed in the first 20 mins of that game. The lessons by now ought to have been drummed into the ears of the boys. Keep it tight and do not concede first. Technically we are by far the better side. And as the second half of that game showed if we can do the basics well enough defensively and in our ball possession we can keep them quiet. Team news has Flamini back in contention for a place after his suspension and for me he goes into the starting lineup immediately. Cazorla was reported ill by Wenger on Friday, but from pictures on the official website he participated in training on Saturday, hinting at a possible recovery. He for me would be a big loss if absent. He is our best outlet for goals at the moment as evident on Wednesday when he came close twice. Podolski looks set to feature too in a changed attacking formation that should see him start on the left. Your guess is as good as mine regarding Giroud and if he should he be rested or not. He has looked rather tired of late culminating in a  worrying dry spell. Bendtner can be called upon to freshen things a bit.. but when you consider its Kolo Toure likely to be in Defense, you must be relishing Giroud's physical presence tormenting the calamity prone Liverpool man. Pace is another addition we need injected into our game. Only Chamberlain and Gnabry can offer those in Walcotts' absence, so expect either of the two to be in the lineup. Here's my guess : Fabianski, Gibbs, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertasacker, Flamini, Arteta,Ozil, Gnabry,Podolski,Giroud...feel free to state yours :-)

You don't need me to tell you how massive a positive result will be for us. With the Mighty Bayern waiting in midweek, its important we get a morale boosting win today so we can go into that game on a high. Failure to win would be very bad as we can ill afford a replay or a loss for that matter. Its time for the players to show why the manager believes so much that they deserve success. C'mon you Gunners!!!