Preview: Recent defeat and Champions League will be on Arsenal's mind
It was not too long ago that both Arsenal and Liverpool met at Anfield. Things did not go so well for the Gunners, who headed home with a heavy defeat, with four of Liverpool’s five goals coming in the opening 20 minutes of the match.
They will now get a chance to bounce back against the Reds, but this time at the Emirates.
One of Arsenal’s concerns will be their upcoming fixture against Bayern Munich. The North London side will go head-to-head with the German champions mid-week, which could cause Arsene Wenger to make some changes to his squad.
Santi Cazorla is a near guarantee to miss Sunday’s match due to an illness. While Arsene Wnger loses one midfielder, he will be relieved to welcome back Mathieu Flamini.
With the Frenchman back in the midfield, he will bring a little more fight. But that will not be all the Gunners will need to see off Liverpool.
Their match at Anfield brought back memories of the Arsenal of old. On the day, they were extremely vulnerable on the counter-attack, and looked to have lost composure after the opening goal. On Sunday, they will need to sort things out, in order to progress to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
Brendan Rodgers will not have to worry about any mid-week European matches, so he will have no problems fielding a full strength squad.
Liverpool followed their 5-1 victory over Arsenal with a hard fought 2-3 win at Craven Cottage. The Reds went down twice, but a late penalty kick from Steven Gerrard sealed the deal for Liverpool.
On Sunday they will try to defeat Arsenal for a second time in less than two weeks. Rodgers will only have to worry about Glen Johnson who will miss out on Sunday, but other than that, he will have a full squad to choose from.
From their two meetings this season, the Gunners have managed to keep Luis Suarez off the score-sheet. Doing that three times in one season will not be easy, but they will also have to keep close tabs on Daniel Sturridge. The England international has scored eight goals in nine successive appearances, with one of them coming at Anfield against Arsenal just eight days ago.
Wenger will now have to think about whether or not he wants to field his strongest starting XI. But it is likely he will make some changes, with Olivier Giroud getting a break, giving Lukas Podolski a chance to play in a central role.
Where to watch this match - Live Stream, Start Time, TV Channels, Live Scores
Watch Arsenal vs Liverpool live on Sunday, February 16, 2014:
In Canada at 11:00 ET on: Sportsnet World Online, Sportsnet World
In the UK at 16:00 GMT on: BT Sport 1, BBC Radio 5 Live
In the USA at 11:00 ET on: SiriusXM FC, Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Sports 2 USA, Fox Deportes
If you are outside these viewing areas, be sure to visit the Arsenal vs Liverpool match page for full TV listings.
