Rio Ferdinand has made a confident claim about Liverpool ahead of their Premier League showdown against Arsenal on Sunday.
Both teams go into the fixture at the Emirates Stadium off the back of hard-fought 1-0 wins in the Champions League, but with the Reds having a four-point advantage on Mikel Arteta’s side, the ex-Manchester United defender feels that the momentum is with the Merseysiders going into the weekend.
Ferdinand claims Liverpool are favourites v Arsenal
Speaking on TNT Sports after Liverpool narrowly saw off RB Leipzig tonight, Ferdinand is convinced that Arne Slot’s team will go to north London as favourites to come out on top against the Gunners.
The 45-year-old said: “On form and momentum, I would say 100% Liverpool [are favourites]. They’re the team that you look at and say that they’re in a better position. Injuries, Arsenal seem decimated at the moment in that sense, and they haven’t got the momentum at the moment.
“They’re not firing on all cylinders, they’re not the Arsenal of last season at the moment. I think the tide has turned for Liverpool right now. Right now here, I’d say Liverpool would be the favourites.”
Liverpool’s chance to make a serious statement
The match on Sunday feels like one where a draw would be an acceptable result for Liverpool away to a fellow title contender and already holding them at arm’s length in the current standings.
However, with the Reds now reeling off eight wins in a row across all competitions, and Arsenal missing several key players through injury as Ferdinand rightly points out, there’s a sense that this could be the perfect opportunity for LFC to make a serious statement of intent for the season.
Although Slot’s side aren’t exactly blowing teams away – Stephen Warnock went as far as to call them ‘disjointed‘ against Leipzig tonight – they’ve made a very happy habit of finding ways to win, and yet another clean sheet in Germany highlights how tough it’s become to breach their defence.
It promises to be a cracker in north London on Sunday, and Liverpool can go there full of confidence that they can extend their winning streak even further!
