(Football news) The two heavyweights of the Premier League are hoping to make up for some mistakes they made throughout the week, and up to 57,000 people are anticipated to pass through the turnstiles to see this weekend’s main match.
A month earlier than anticipated, a section of Liverpool’s Anfield Road Stand will officially open for business on Sunday. The hosts are hoping to welcome their highest number of spectators since the days of Bill Shankly in 1973, as well as their highest number since the Premier League era, thanks to a successful test event on Monday.
With the exception of the Merseyside derby, the Liverpool hierarchy could hardly have asked for a more tantalizing match to smash their attendance record—especially in light of their recent performance against Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp’s team enters the historic match on Sunday atop the Premier League ladder.
When Jean-Philippe Mateta put Crystal Palace ahead from the penalty spot last weekend, it looked like the midday misery would continue. However, Mohamed Salah’s 200th goal for the Reds and a superb Harvey Elliott winner saw Liverpool complete another iconic comeback. Klopp and 12.30pm kickoffs are hardly a match made in heaven.
Liverpool enters gameweek 17 with a one-point lead over the Gunners and a two-point cushion over the Lions, both of whom play at 2pm. As a result, the Reds may have dropped to the bronze medal position by the time the whistle blows at Anfield due to Arsenal’s defeat to Aston Villa later in the day.
A seven-game winning streak in the Premier League at home makes for very enjoyable reading for the Liverpool supporters, who have also seen their team score at least twice in each of those victories. On Thursday, an experimental XI made up of fringe and academy players lost 2-1 to Union SG in the Europa League, but that result was insignificant because a last-16 spot was already guaranteed.
For their poorly performing opponents, who also suffered a one-goal loss in midweek against a considerably more depressing opponent in the form of being eliminated from the continental conversation, a lesson in attacking strategy from Liverpool might not go amiss.
Erik ten Hag’s team failed in their attempt to qualify for the Europa League, losing to a Kingsley Coman goal to finish bottom of the group. A victory over Bayern Munich on the last day of the Champions League Group A would have been meaningless if Copenhagen had defeated Galatasaray.
Also read: Arsenal will play Brighton in the EPL
