Arsenal vs Liverpool: Macca's Bet Builder Tip for Thursday's Clash

Arsenal and Liverpool meet at the Emirates tonight in a fixture that still represents a huge game, even if the title race picture has shifted in recent weeks.

Arsenal arrive in ruthless form riding a strong winning run and showing an ability to grind out results even when not at their best.

That resilience was on display in their comeback win at Bournemouth, where Declan Rice delivered a rare Premier League brace and the Gunners once again found a way to get over the line.

Home form has been a huge pillar of Arsenal’s charge. The Emirates has become a genuine fortress and Mikel Arteta’s side look increasingly comfortable controlling games through sustained pressure, set pieces and midfield dominance.

Bukayo Saka, in particular, continues to thrive in big moments and has built a habit of producing against Liverpool in north London (scoring in both the last two home games against Liverpool).

Liverpool’s unbeaten streak keeps them competitive, but recent draws have exposed familiar issues. Late goals against, set piece vulnerability and missing some of their best players such as Salah has shown to be quite damaging.

Leg 1: Cody Gakpo to score anytime

Liverpool head into this trip to the Emirates with their attacking options seriously stretched, and that shifts a lot of responsibility onto Cody Gakpo. With Salah away and both Ekitike and Isak unavailable (Ekitike is rumoured to be out again but could get minutes), Gakpo is set to operate centrally again according to all predicted lineups, a role that naturally boosts his shot volume and goal threat.

When used as a striker recently, his involvement has been clear. He took five shots against Fulham last time out and scored and has regularly been hitting two or more attempts when starting through the middle. Liverpool are leaning heavily on him to finish moves, and even in tougher fixtures he continues to get opportunities rather than drifting out of games.

Arsenal do not give much away at home, but the chances they do concede tend to fall to the opposition’s central forward. Gakpo has already managed multiple shots against Arsenal in previous meetings and now finds himself as the focal point of a depleted attack. At around 5.0 the price looks big for Liverpool’s most likely scorer on the night considering Liverpool are just 1.61 odds to score.

Leg 2: Gabriel Magalhães to be fouled

Gabriel Magalhães consistently gets dragged into physical battles and that trend shows clearly in the numbers. He has been fouled 10 times across his last five starts and exactly 30 times in his last 30 starts, a very steady history for this type of market.

Whoever leads the line for Liverpool should only increase that likelihood. If Cody Gakpo starts centrally, he averages 1.39 fouls committed per 90 minutes, while Hugo Ekitike is even more aggressive at 1.66 per 90 if he features, whether from the start or off the bench. Both players point towards regular contact with Arsenal’s centre backs.

Add in the stakes of a high profile game between two of the league’s top teams and the intensity should be high from the first whistle.

At the time of writing, the bet builder pays a best price of 15/2 on bet365, compared to 11/2 elsewhere. That's a £20 potential difference in winnings from a £10 stake.

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