da pinup bet： Two flawed but fearsome attacking units will go head to head in a mouth-watering clash at Anfield on Saturday evening
da apostaganha： Anfield endured a dreadful game of football last Sunday. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp even felt compelled to criticise some of his own fans for failing to make some noise. The atmosphere shouldn't be an issue this weekend, though, with Anfield set to play host to what is likely to be a thrilling encounter with top spot in the Premier League on the line.
Encouraginly, Liverpool have already rediscovered the goalscoring touch that deserted them against a painfully defensive Manchester United last weekend, with the resurgent Reds routing West Ham 5-1 on Wednesday night to progress to the last four of the Carabao Cup. As it stands, only two teams across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues have scored more goals in all competitions this season than Klopp's men (63).
As for Arsenal, the key to their ascent to the top of the Premier League has probably been summer signing Declan Rice, who has added steel, class and composure to their midfield. However, it's worth noting that the Gunners have only scored one goal fewer (35) than Liverpool in this season's top flight, meaning Saturday's showdown on Merseyside could well descend into a shootout between two flawed but fearsome forward lines.
But which side has the better attack? GOAL runs through – and rates – Liverpool and Arsenal's star men below…
Getty Mohamed Salah vs Bukayo Saka
Mohamed Salah (9.5/10):
The best player in Premier League history? Maybe not yet but he's not far off. At the very least, the Egyptian is the undisputed No.1 right now. No player has been directly involved in more league goals this season than Salah (18), who has scored 11 times himself. At 31 years of age, he's showing no signs of slowing down – thanks to his incredible dedication to his craft – and remains the standard by which all other wingers in England are measured.
Bukayo Saka (9/10):
The heir apparent to the Egyptian king's throne, Arsenal's homegrown hero has also emerged as a similarly talismanic figure at the Emirates. Saka is, by some distance, the Gunners' most potent -and reliable – attacking weapon. He still has to work on his finishing (Saka's shot conversion rate in the Premier League is 14 percent; Salah's is 21 percent) but the 22-year-old has racked up more assists (11) in all competitions than any other Premier League player so far this season – and the scary thing for Arsenal's opponents is, he's only going to get better.
AdvertisementGetty Darwin Nunez vs Gabriel Jesus
Darwin Nunez (7/10):
What on earth to make of the spectacularly unpredictable Uruguayan? At times, 'Captain Chaos' can look like a world-beater. At others, a complete no-hoper. Nunez showed what he's capable of with his match-winning cameo against Newcastle earlier this season and a subsequent good run of form established him as Klopp's first-choice No.9. However, there's absolutely no way he'd be starting now if Diogo Jota were fit. Nunez may have 14 goal contributions in all competitions but he hasn't scored in the Premier League since the end of October! The 24-year-old fan favourite remains a real handful because of his pace but it's becoming painfully clear that he's not prolific enough to spearhead a title-challenger.
Gabriel Jesus (7.5):
Somewhat similar to Nunez in that he's long been criticised for failing to score enough goals. He was meant to be Sergio Aguero's successor at Manchester City but ended up being deployed on the wing before eventually being allowed to leave. Still, despite his persistent fitness issues, Arsenal look a better side with Jesus leading the line and, in fairness to him, he's scored freely in the Champions League this season. However, it would be remiss not to mention that he's only been involved in four goals in the Premier League (five fewer than Nunez), which explains why Arsenal continue to be linked with other centre-forwards.
Getty Luis Diaz vs Gabriel Martinelli
Luis Diaz (7/10):
He's been an incredibly tough few months for Diaz, whose parents were kidnapped in Colombia at the tail end of November. It would be weeks before his father was released and yet Diaz still came off the bench to score a precious equaliser at Luton on November 5. The usually-electric winger hasn't scored in the league since and hasn't registered a single assist in all competitions. It's hard to avoid the feeling that the kidnapping nightmare his family endured has understandably taken a serious toll on Diaz.
Gabriel Martinelli (7/10):
Klopp has never hidden his admiration for the Brazilian, once describing Martinelli as "the talent of the century" after a League Cup clash at Anfield. He's just as highly rated at the Emirates, of course, but there's no denying that he's struggled to replicate his very best form of late. Martinelli has just two goals and two assists to his name in this season's Premier League – a disappointing return for a player that struck 15 times last term.
Getty The understudies
Liverpool's bench (8/10):
The Reds are definitely missing Jota, who is arguably the most instinctive finisher at the club. The Portuguese, who can pretty much play anywhere across the forward line, had scored eight goals in all competitions before being sidelined by a muscular problem. The equally versatile Cody Gakpo has had his own injury issues this season and hasn't scored in the league since September, which is why he's lost his starting spot, but the Dutchman did bag his seventh of the season in midweek. Harvey Elliott was outstanding in that game against the Hammers, proving that he's not just a great impact sub – he can also do a fine job filling in for Salah on the right-hand side when required. Teenage winger Ben Doak should turn out to be even more suited to that role but the Scotland Under-21 star is presently sidelined.
Arsenal's bench (7.5/10):
Eddie Nketiah is perhaps not the world-class striker that the Gunners are reportedly looking for but he has always done a decent job when asked to fill in up front. It's also worth noting that he's got five league goals – as many as Jesus and Martinelli combined. Leandro Trossard, meanwhile, has three to his name and while he didn't really excel when asked to replace the injured Martinelli on the left flank, he remains a good option off the bench, particularly as he has a decent eye for a pass. Academy products Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson have sparkled for Arsenal in the past but manager Mikel Arteta no longer appears to have much faith in either of them.