Ian Wright says that Liverpool’s potential to close the gap on Manchester City with a victory over Arsenal tonight makes him ‘frightened’ for his old club.
Speaking on his podcast Ringer FC, (22mins 30secs) the pundit claimed that The Reds player’s will be ‘so hyped’ ahead of the game.
“If I’m a Liverpool player I’m so hyped right now [after watching the City game] for the Arsenal game, which has made me frightened,” said Wright.
“I have to be frightened, I’m worried!”
Opportunity knocks for Liverpool
City unexpectedly dropped points against Crystal Palace on Monday night. That means that a win for Liverpool tonight would put them within a point of the Champions at the top of the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have won eight league games in a row. Arsenal themselves are in great form and have won five on the spin.
But Wright thinks that anything other than a loss against Liverpool would be a great result for the Gunners.
“Anything apart from a loss is a win for Arsenal with a Liverpool team coming to the Emirates knowing that a win takes them to the place they need to be against City,” said the 58-year-old.
Palace’s gutsy performance certainly gives The Reds plenty to play for. But they are also a team who are now full of experience of this kind of scenario.
Klopp won’t allow his players to get carried away and their sole focus will be on getting the three points at the Emirates.
Good omens
Arsenal’s stadium has been a happy hunting ground for Liverpool recently. In their last two visits they have won 3-0 and 2-0. The latest of which saw a stunning Diogo Jota double send them into the Carabao Cup final.
The 25-year-old has a superb record against the Gunners. It could be the perfect game for him to bounce back from an underwhelming run of form.
Whether it has been in North London or back home at Anfield, Liverpool have had Arsenal’s number in recent years. In fact, in their last five games against Arsenal in all competitions, Liverpool haven’t conceded a single goal.
But they can’t rest on their laurels this time around. Mikel Arteta has always had his side relatively well-drilled but they’ve now seemingly added an attacking flair which is making them a fun side to watch.
With the feel-good factor now returning, tonight will be a much bigger test for Liverpool than Wrighty is letting on.
The home side should be well-rested too, having played just six games since the two sides last met in January. Klopp’s team have played double that amount in the same time, a point which he was keen to make in his pre-match press conference yesterday.
Liverpool have won 10 of those 12 games, Arsenal have won five of their six. Whichever way you look at it, a big match awaits. Three points tonight and the title race is well and truly on. Come on you Reds!
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