Giroud vs Sturridge: Which red hot forward will be the clinical difference on Saturday?

The Premier League seems to have an abundance of in-form strikers at the moment and two of them will face each other this weekend when Olivier Giroud and Arsenal play host Daniel Sturridge and Liverpool at the Emirates on Saturday.

The pair have been in fine form at the start of this campaign and their goals have helped their respective clubs to their lofty positions in the league table.

Sturridge has been in red-hot form in front goal since his move to Liverpool in January and his 21 goals in 2013 is the most anyone has scored since the turn of the year in the Premier League.

In contrast, Giroud seemed to take awhile to adapt to the English game after his move from Montpellier. But despite a difficult first season in the Premier League, the Frenchman still managed to net 11 goals in 34 league appearances for the Gunners, hardly a nightmare season for the 27-year-old.

Sturridge is currently the top goalscorer in the Premier League so far this season with a tally of eight goals in nine appearances and the variety in which the 24-year-old has scored his goals is impressive.

He has shown that he is capable of scoring every manner of goal, from solo efforts and tap-ins to headers and long range strikes, making him one of the hottest strikers around.

Daniel Sturridge Goals Scored This Season

Giroud’s five goals so far this season are what you may expect from a more traditional centre-forward. Each of his goals have been scored within the 18 yard box with one coming from his head while the rest have been put away with his trusty left foot.

Olivier Giroud Goals Scored

In addition to scoring goals for their teams, both strikers have helped their team mates get on the score sheet with assists. Giroud has four assist already this season, that’s one more than he managed in 34 appearances last season. He’s also created 11 other chances in his opening nine matches while he fashioned on average, one chance per game last season.

Giroud v Sturridge Stats

Meanwhile, Sturridge has created nine chances for his team mates in his nine games so far this season, including two assists for his strike partner Luis Suarez.

The playing style of each player is markedly different, while Giroud resembles a more conventional striker and plays largely through the middle, Sturridge is free to roam into the channels.

A look at Sturridge’s Action Areas from Liverpool 4-1 win over West Brom shows that 9.59% of his action came in the oppositions final third. You can also see that he is willing to drop deep to go in search of the ball and move into the left hand channel to look for space.

In contrast, a look at Giroud’s Action Areas from Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace shows that the Frenchman tends to stick to the centre of the pitch with 24.53% of his action coming in the final third.

Giroud is the sole focus of Arsenal’s attack and is tasked with leading the line solo, whereas Liverpool have both Sturridge and Suarez, meaning the pair have more freedom to wonder.

The game at the Emirates has many underlying stories and individual duels within it, but the goals scored or the chances missed from either Sturridge or Giroud could be the biggest factor in deciding which team comes out on top.