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The blockbuster game of the Premier League weekend is certainly Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool taking the trip to north London as they prepare to build on their unbeaten start to the season against Unai Emery's Arsenal, who get a piece of the big boys for the first time since their defeat to Chelsea in August.
Liverpool registered a convincing 4-1 win over Cardiff City last Saturday while the Gunners were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park by Crystal Palace to put an end to their 11-game winning streak across all competitions. Emery reigned supreme when the two managers last met in the 2016 Europa League final as Sevilla came from behind in the second half to register a 3-1 win over Liverpool.
That result was the perfect testament to how Emery's teams usually function as it is at Arsenal since 75 per cent of their goals this season have come in the second half of games. However, they will need to start positively against Liverpool and cannot afford to let the visitors grab the upper hand early on at the Emirates on Saturday.
The fixture has been nothing short of spectacular in recent times after producing as many as 27 goals during the last five encounters between the two sides at an average of more than five goals per game. On that note, let's take a closer look at three key individual battles that can decide the outcome of the game on Saturday's tea-time kick-off at the Emirates:
#1 Mohamed Salah vs Shkodran Mustafi
Jurgen Klopp's decision to switch to a 4-2-3-1 from 4-3-3 seems to have helped Mohamed Salah get back to his destructive best for Liverpool this season. The injuries to both Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita is believed to be one of the reasons why Liverpool decided to tweak their formation ahead of the game against Red Star Belgrade and the gamble paid off handsomely as they registered a 4-0 victory.
Salah, who is now benefiting from playing as a centre-forward in the new system, backed up his brace against Red Star Belgrade with another goal during the 4-1 triumph over Cardiff City during the weekend and is surely getting back to his best form. The forward will be up against an Arsenal defence marshalled by Shkodran Mustafi, who has played every single minute of their league campaign so far this season.
The Gunners have not looked particularly great at the back and are still coping with the injuries suffered to a number of key personnel with the latest being Hector Bellerin, who picked up a thigh injury during the draw against Palace on Sunday. The onus will be on Mustafi to lead the hosts' rearguard as they go up against potentially the most lethal front-three in the division in the form of Salah and co.
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Trent Alexander-Arnold
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is arguably Arsenal's biggest goal threat at this point in time after averaging a goal every 93 minutes so far this season. The Gabon international has been directly involved in 10 goals (9 goals and an assist) across all competitions so far this season and also scored during their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last Sunday.
The 29-year-old played a short cameo off the bench during Arsenal's win over Blackpool in the Carabao Cup during midweek and is fresh and raring to go up against Liverpool on Saturday as a result. Aubameyang did not feature for Arsenal against Liverpool last season, since he joined only in January, and could well be an x-factor for the Gunners heading into the game considering his stellar run of form this season.
The forward will be up against Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has enjoyed a steady ascent within the Liverpool setup since last season, and is expected to enjoy a highly-contested battle on the flanks. It will be interesting to see what approach Alexander-Arnold adopts for the game since Aubameyang can be a tricky customer to deal with on his day.
Liverpool have the second-best defence in the league, but this fixture has guaranteed nothing but goals in the last few meetings and this could well be an open and exciting affair depending on how things shape up on the flank between these key individuals for their sides.
#3 Georginio Wijnaldum vs Lucas Torreira
The battle within the war in midfield would have been even more enticing had the likes of Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson were involved, but the injuries could mean that it might just come down to Georginio Wijnaldum and Lucas Torreira vying to outshine each other.
Both players have been integral to how their sides fully function and while Wijanldum has been an ever-present for Liverpool this season, his counterpart Torreira has had to wait for his opportunity to showcase his snappy attributes in the Premier League.
Liverpool's fluidity in midfield will depend majorly on Wijnaldum's contribution while Torreira's primary objective will be to prevent the former from finding his feet at the Emirates on Saturday. The battle is expected to be of the high-octane nature since both players are essential to their teams establishing an upper hand in the tie and could well even become the telling factor at the end of 90 free-flowing minutes in north London.
