Arsenal vs. Liverpool: Match Preview

DON'T FORGET: England is no longer on summer time, so if you're in the US, the match starts an hour later than it normally would.

It's a battle of first v. second at the Emirates on Saturday, featuring two teams nobody thought would be in those particular places at this time of the season.  But here Arsenal sit, in first place and firing on all cylinders, with Liverpool close behind.  Arsenal are in the rare position of having lost two of their last three games - fortunately, the one win was in the league last weekend, and nobody's going to shed a lot of Club In Crisis Tears over Arsenal exiting the Capital One Cup.

But tomorrow it's back to business in the league; Arsenal will want to underline their title credentials by winning a game against a top-tier opponent, and Liverpool, well, they'll want to do the same.  Arsenal's injury problems are, unfortunately, legion at the moment; no Flamini, no Theo, no Podolski, and no Ox.  So, no enforcer, and less speed.  Yay!

The good bit of news is that the magnificent head of hair that contains Mikel Arteta is back.  As beat up as Arsenal are at the moment, even a ring-rusty Arteta is better than no Arteta; hopefully he'll get back up to speed really quickly, because Arsenal and their Perpetual Injury Crisis need all the help they can get tomorrow.

Mesut Özil has now gone four Premier League appearances without an assist; MIDFIELDER IN CRISIS alert ahoy!  If Mertesacker can contain Suarez, and if Özil can Özil, Arsenal should have enough to win, even with the injury problems they're having.

PREDICTED LINEUP: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla; Giroud