Liverpool vs Arsenal: The battle of the free-scoring front threes
While there have already been two marquee clashes in the Premier League this season, with Manchester United and Chelsea facing off on week one and Manchester City and Tottenham going toe-to-toe in week two, the remaining teams from the Premier League’s ‘big six’ go head-to-head this Saturday.
There’s a case to be made that the clash between Liverpool and Arsenal - the only sides with two Premier League wins to their name after as many matches - is the most exciting yet.
That’s not because the pair occupy the top two spots in the table - at this stage of the season that is pretty irrelevant - but because recent meetings between the two, particularly at Anfield, have lived up to the hype.
Without meaning to jinx Saturday’s clash on Merseyside, there’s reason to believe that the upcoming match could live up to the most memorable of said encounters.
The last seven meetings between the sides have seen 35 goals scored, and there’s a new man on the scene hoping to make his way onto this particular scoresheet.
Most will be expecting the see Nicolas Pepe start for the first time for the Gunners having made two impressive cameo appearances thus far. The Ivorian’s arrival has the fans unsurprisingly licking their lips at the prospect of a front three alongside Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.
It’s Liverpool’s fearsome attacking triumvirate that has been the envy of fans across the continent, let alone the country, but Emery’s new look strike force could give the Reds trio a run for their money.
When looking at league goals scored by each trio combined last season, there’s nothing to separate the two. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino scored 56 times between them in the 2018/19 campaign, and the same is true of Aubameyang, Pepe and Lacazette.
Pepe was, of course, playing up against inferior opposition more often than not in France’s Ligue 1 but is still a significant upgrade on those that were at Unai Emery’s disposal.
The former Lille star scored 21 top-flight goals last season, which was one shy of Salah, Mane and Aubameyang, all of whom shared the Golden Boot. Meanwhile Alexandre Lacazette (13 goals) bettered Roberto Firmino’s tally by one, with both likely to spearhead their respective attacks this weekend despite boasting more modest goal returns than their teammates.
However, Arsenal are Firmino’s favourite opponent having scored eight times agains the Gunners, while Lacazette scored against Liverpool last season where Aubameyang, to now, has failed.
New boy Pepe, meanwhile, is the only player of the six yet to open his league account for the season - understandably with just 64 minutes to his name - so it’s clear that the huge array of attacking talent on display will all approach the match in confident mood.
Even factoring this season’s goals alongside those scored in 2018/19 there is no separating the two front threes, with Aubameyang finding the net twice to make up for Pepe having not done so. There is no question, then, that Saturday evening’s showdown will be billed as the battle between two outstanding attacking trios and one that should not disappoint.
