Magalhaes (left) should be in the line-up against Liverpool, but doubts remain about Calafiori (right). — Reuters
ARNE Slot’s Liverpool passed their first real stern test against Chelsea last week and then dispatched RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek.
Despite not being completely convincing with the overall performance against Chelsea, three points in the bag was all that mattered for the Reds.
Next up for the Dutch head coach and his players will be Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Liverpool will seriously need to be considered as one of the challengers for the Premier League title this season.
Yes, it is still early days, but the way the Reds are grinding out results despite not playing well is reminiscent of the title-winning season four years ago.
And Slot has also been quite honest in his analysis of his team after each game, noting that his side is still not at a level that he is truly happy with and can still be better.
Often reiterating that he has inherited a good squad from Jurgen Klopp, Slot also believes that his side can take on any team in Europe.
Whether Liverpool can go all the way in his first season remains to be seen, as fixtures in all the competitions stack up.
It will be a challenging period right now up until the next international break in November, with matches against Brighton and Hove Albion, Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa next.
The Merseyside club have also been fortunate with injuries since the start of the season, up until a few weeks ago.
Alisson Becker, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa are confirmed to be out of the match against the Gunners. Also doubtful are Conor Bradley and Diogo Jota, with both needing to be assessed by the club’s medical department.
After the 1-0 win over Red Bull Leipzig in their third UEFA Champions League match in midweek, Liverpool will be hoping that they can sustain their good run of form to keep the winning momentum going.
Having travelled to Germany before the trip to London, Slot will surely be hopeful that his players can shake off any tiredness to face Arsenal.
As for Arsenal, Arteta will be concerned with the number of players unavailable for the match against Liverpool, especially in defence.
The Spaniard is already without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney, who are both out for a long period, while Jurrien Timber could face a late fitness test.
Riccardo Calafiori is also a doubt, having picked up an injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over FC Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.
William Saliba, meanwhile, is suspended for the match, having received a red card during the shocking 2-0 loss to Bournemouth last week.
Martin Odegaard is another long-term injury concern while Bukayo Saka, who picked up a hamstring injury during the last international break, is also a doubt.
Other than that, there should not be much changes to the midfield and attack.
The loss of Saliba could be the one factor that weighs the most on the outcome of the match.
The Frenchman has struck up quite a partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of the Gunners’ defence.
Having Jakub Kiwior as his replacement does not really instil confidence among Arsenal supporters.
The way the Pole was substituted out after being brought on from the bench against Bournemouth also did not do his confidence any good.
Both he and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is set to step in for Calafiori, are thought to be out of favour with Arteta and are also seen as the weak links to Arsenal’s defence.
In the last decade, Liverpool have had the upper hand over Arsenal in all competitions, with 13 wins and seven losses.
However, the Emirates has not been a good hunting ground for them, having lost four league matches there, including the last two, and only having won three times.
