Liverpool V Arsenal Combined XI – We Have Included 6 Reds And 5 Gunners

With a huge top-of-the-table clash coming up between Liverpool and Arsenal this weekend, we have put together a starting eleven made up of players from both teams.

There were some positions that were much tougher to decide on than others but there is a pretty even split between the two clubs in terms of who was included.

There are six players from Liverpool and five from Arsenal in our combined XI, which demonstrates how equal the two sides are.

Find out who we have picked in our lineup by pressing the next page.

Goalkeeper And Defence

GK – Alisson Becker – this was a pretty straightforward decision. Both David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale have made errors this season while Liverpool’s no.1 has been consistently excellent.

RB – Trent Alexander-Arnold – you could make a case for including Ben White, who is arguably a better defender, but Trent’s all-round game gives him the edge over his Arsenal counterpart.

CB – William Saliba – some are already hailing the Frenchman as the best defender in the Premier League, and he is undoubtedly a top-class centre-back, despite still only being 22 years of age.

CB – Virgil van Dijk – Gabriel has looked very impressive in recent weeks but, if you ask any striker who they would least like to face, it would be the Liverpool captain.

LB – Andy Robertson – Oleksandr Zinchenko contributes a great deal in possession as an inverted fullback but he can often be found wanting defensively. Robertson, in contrast, is simply a more rounded fullback.

Midfield

CM – Declan Rice – Gunners fans have been waxing lyrical about the £105m summer signing’s performances, although any West Ham supporter will tell you he’s been doing exactly the same things for the Hammers over the past few years. A top-drawer holding midfielder.

CM – Dominik Szoboszlai – if you look purely at the numbers then Kai Havertz can feel hard done by being left out. However, despite his recent poor form, Szoboszlai has been key to Liverpool’s resurgence this season.

AM – Martin Odegaard – the Reds don’t have anyone like the Arsenal captain in their squad. He is one of the top playmakers in the Premier League behind Kevin De Bruyne.

The last time Liverpool had anyone similar in their starting lineup was probably Phillipe Coutinho before he left for Barcelona.

Forwards

RW – Mo Salah – Bukayo Saka is a superb player but, if we look at the two players’ output this campaign, the Egyptian King just comes out on top.

Salah has 18 goal contributions in the Premier League (11 goals and 7 assists), while Saka has only managed 12 (5 goals and 7 assists).

CF – Gabriel Jesus – you could make an argument for selecting Darwin Nunez but his lack of consistency, compared to the Arsenal no.9, counts against him. Jesus may miss chances (like Nunez) but he brings the best out of his teammates. That is not something you can say about the Liverpool striker.

LW – Gabriel Martinelli – Luis Diaz has had a poor season so far, while Diogo Jota has been in and out of the starting eleven. Martinelli hasn’t had the best first half of the season himself (having scored only twice in the Premier League), but he is a constant menace to opposition defences, even if he has lacked an end product.

Watch a preview of Liverpool’s plans for the January transfer window on Shots!TV here