Premier League leaders Liverpool once again travel to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in a blockbuster clash this weekend.
The Reds return to north London for the second time this year having dumped the Gunners out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory.
The landscape has drastically changed since the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse Premier League fixture on December 23.
That stalemate ensured Mikel Arteta‘s side remained top of the table, but a poor festive period has since seen Liverpool leapfrog them.
Jurgen Klopp‘s men’s 4-1 win over Chelsea, which came a day after Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest, kept the club five points clear.
Another Liverpool victory would leave a major gap to Arsenal in the title race, with Manchester City out to take advantage of any slip-up.
Klopp has a major dilemma over what to do at right-back, which is not something he would have anticipated this time last month.
Liverpool’s vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold was a shoo-in to instantly return in defence once he recovered from a knee injury.
However, the emergence of Conor Bradley in his absence has made the club’s fellow academy graduate almost indispensable.
Alexander-Arnold returned off the bench in Liverpool’s win over Norwich last weekend but still failed to start against Chelsea.
Bradley responded with a goal and two assists in a star showing during the 4-1 win over the Blues to give Klopp a headache.
While it seems incredibly harsh to be dropped after such a performance, Alexander-Arnold’s record against Arsenal may leave the Reds boss with little choice.
Alexander-Arnold has assisted six goals in his last seven Premier League games against Arsenal.
Overall he’s assisted seven in the competition against the Gunners, his most against any opponent, and the joint-most any player has against Arsenal (Steven Gerrard also 7).
