Arsenal have a point to prove in Liverpool clash, says Arteta

Premier League leaders Arsenal have “a point to prove” when they face Liverpool, manager Mikel Arteta said on Wednesday as the North London club look to maintain their commanding advantage at the summit.

Arsenal have 48 points from 20 games, six points clear of Manchester City, while they boast an unbeaten record at home having won 14 of their 15 matches across all competitions this season.

But Liverpool also carry extra motivation into the Emirates Stadium clash after handing Arsenal their first defeat of the campaign with a 1-0 victory at Anfield back in August.

“We’re very excited. It’s a massive game against the champions... We have a point to prove, we’re going to have our crowd creating an amazing atmosphere,” Arteta told reporters ahead of Thursday’s clash.

“We are top of the table, we play at home against a really good opponent. We want to maintain our position. To do that, we’re going to have to be excellent throughout the game. That’s the point we have to prove.”

Arteta is banking on Arsenal’s faithful to provide the crucial edge against Liverpool. “They’ve been unbelievable again this season. It makes such a difference. We become a different team. The level of energy, commitment, confidence and desire is transmitted by them. We need them tomorrow,” Arteta said.

“There is nothing like it. You become a different player. Your emotional status is better, your level is better, your confidence is better. They encourage you to perform actions with aggression, with a lot of determination, and it lifts the whole team.”

Reigning champions Liverpool sit fourth with 34 points having struggled for form and consistency this term, but Arteta is not taking Arne Slot’s side lightly, saying they are still a “superb team” but beset by injuries.

“Liverpool have a great manager. They have a sensational structural understanding of what they have to do in relation to other players that they select tomorrow in the lineup,” Arteta said.

“They can play in different ways, because those will make it a bit different and specific to what we can expect tomorrow and we have to be conscious of that and focus in on what we have to do.

“We want to win every game. The most important one is tomorrow’s. We know what we have to do to beat them, now we have to prove it on the pitch.”

Arteta said defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori remain sidelined while they are still monitoring Kai Havertz’s load as the German forward returns from injury.

“He trained this morning again. Hopefully we’re going to have him available and the best version of Kai very soon,” the coach said.

Slot optimistic: Liverpool manager Arne Slot insists his reigning English champions can still do “special things” this season as they prepare to face Arsenal following a faltering start to their title defence.

Slot’s men head to the Emirates for Thursday’s clash in fourth place in the table, but 14 points adrift of the Gunners.

However, following on from a run of nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last nine — although that sequence includes four draws.

Those draws include a goalless stalemate against Leeds and a 2-2 share of the spoils with Fulham in their first two Premier League fixtures of 2026.

“It is nine games unbeaten but we have definitely had two draws too many,” Slot told a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

Slot, who guided Liverpool to an impressive title triumph in his first season in charge at Anfield after succeeding Jurgen Klopp, added: “Where are we? I think I’ve said so many times that the answer to that question is we aren’t where we want to be, but I feel we have a very talented squad.

“If everyone’s available and ready, then I think we can do special things.

“I think we’ve also shown that this season because we’ve got quite a lot of impressive wins, but we’ve also had unimpressive draws and losses,” said Slot.

Those impressive victories included home successes against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and a 5-1 romp away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

But on the flip side, they have suffered three-goal defeats at home three times this season, against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven.

Agencies