FA Cup: Arsenal vs Liverpool betting preview

It’s not too often you get two Premier League giants locking horns in the third round of the FA Cup, but we’ve been gifted with just that. Arsenal will welcome league leaders Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for a tasty affair. The kick-off is scheduled for 11:30 AM EST. The Gunners are coming off a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Fulham last weekend which dropped them back in the title race. The Reds meanwhile hammered Newcastle 4-2 on Monday and continue to thrive in more ways than one. Arsenal and Liverpool went to battle just before Christmas and it ended up in a 1-1 draw. Below, we’ll preview the game.

Arsenal

The Gunners were very much in the EPL title mix for weeks on end but have hit a tough spell of form as of late. Mikel Arteta’s side has lost back-to-back league matches to West Ham and Fulham, bagging just one goal in the process. That means Arsenal is five points behind Liverpool for first and now sits in fourth. They need to figure it out in a hurry.

Bukayo Saka put his team ahead early on against the Cottagers, but that was all the scoring the Gunners did. Raul Jimenez equalized for the hosts before halftime and then Bobby De Cordova-Reid netted the winner in the second period for Fulham. Arteta’s men controlled 60% of the ball but barely mustered up any legitimate opportunities on goal.

When it comes to the FA Cup, the Gunners have won the competition a whopping 14 times. They’ve lifted the trophy on four occasions since 2014 alone, including in 2020 when the club beat London rivals Chelsea. This is a clear opportunity for Arsenal to potentially win some hardware this year, although they’re definitely still focused on the EPL and the Champions League knockout stages. The hosts are sitting at +100 odds at 888sport.

Liverpool

It’s safe to say Liverpool is back in business. After a disappointing 2022-23 campaign where they failed to make the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp’s squad is thriving this term. The Merseysiders are enjoying a 13-game unbeaten run at the moment since their only defeat of the season to Tottenham in September. The goals are flowing and the backline is extremely solid.

Liverpool is at the top of the Premier League table with 45 points and a 13-6-1 record. They’ve bagged 43 goals in 20 games while conceding just 18. Mo Salah is the leading man up top with 14 goals and eight assists, but several others are lethal, too. Darwin Nunez has netted five times and set up another six, while Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Cody Gakpo have combined for more than 10 goals. This attack could be the best in the world.

The Reds ripped through Newcastle last weekend, with Salah, Curtis Jones, and Gakpo producing the goods. Salah scored a brace, but Liverpool will be without him for the time being after heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt. That will open up more opportunities for the rest of this frontline. Liverpool has won the FA Cup eight times and most recently in 2022, also taking down Chelsea in the showpiece. Klopp’s group is sitting at plus odds here at all soccer betting sites.

Injury news

As previously mentioned, Salah is out on Sunday. Wataru Endo is also away at the Asian Cup. Dominik Szoboszlai is in doubt after hurting his hamstring against Newcastle, while the likes of Thiago, Andy Robertson, and Kostas Tsimikas are still sideline due to injuries. For Arsenal, Takehiro Tomiyasu is at the Asian Cup with Japan, while Mohamed Elneny is with Salah and Egypt. Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is in doubt with a calf issue.