Premier League GW9 Preview: Liverpool to Deliver Hammer Blow to Depleted Gunners?

Welcome back to the Premier League Preview. This week, we will be looking at 3 crunch games for Gameweek 9's Premier League action. Read on to find out my 3 games to look out for for various reasons below!

The Meaty One:

Arsenal vs Liverpool, 27/10 4:30pm KO

Liverpool continue their tricky fixture run with an away trip to the Emirates to face an Arsenal side who are in a bit of a bad place. Liverpool have the potential to go 7 points clear of Arsenal, whilst The Gunners will be eager to cut the deficit.

From a Liverpool perspective, all is merry at Anfield. A balanced and solid showing against a potent Chelsea side in a 2-1 win last weekend was backed up by a Champions League 0-1 win away from home against RB Leipzig. Slot's lads continue their flawless run in the Championes League and come into the weekend with full confidence. As of now, The Reds can beat anyone and they won't be scared of the trip to the Emirates, in fact they will relish the opportunity to hurt their opponents.

Despite winning 1-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk midweek, Arsenal have played poorly in their last 2 matches, especially in their 0-2 loss to Bournemouth last weekend. No Saka and no Ødegaard has hurt The Gunners, losing much of their creativity going forward. Whether the former will be back is yet to be seen, but not many can replicate what the Englishman can do.

Additionally, Arsenal face doubts over their defence, a usual solid and consistent block of their team. Saliba suspended, Timber and Calafiori doubts, Arteta may be forced to play an unfamiliar back four. I'm envisioning a back four of Kiwior-Gabriel-White-Partey, which doesn't scream clean sheets and defensive prowess.

Two contrasting sides come face-to-face and I can only see one outcome. If Arteta surprises me and actually plays possession-based, attacking football, we could have a far more exciting game on our hands. But, due to the circumstances, Liverpool should control this game comfortably and, honestly, not notice that they are playing away from home. Arteta needs to be careful that his "pragmatism" does not become negative, especially at home where fans will want their team to be competing to come out on top.

Jack's Prediction: Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool

The Goals Fest:

Manchester City vs Southampton, 26/10 3pm KO

I put my hands up, I chose Man City in this segment last week and they did not deliver a goals fest against Wolves, scraping a 1-2 win. But, this week will be different, believe me!

Suffering in De Bruyne and Rodri's absence, Man City have been a shadow of their usual selfs, struggling to turn teams over and being extremely susceptible at the back to counterattacks. This was reinforced by Wolves opener last weekend as City were cut open by a rapid counterattack, just as Fulham did the weekend before.

However, a stellar display midweek in a 5-0 thrashing over Sparta Prague has restored my faith in the boys in sky blue. After being a disjointed unit for a few games now, City finally began to link up superbly against Sparta Prague. The players were combining seamlessly, all on the same page as they created a plethora of chances and finished off beautiful team goals.

Notably, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were both on the scoresheet after being out of form in the previous few games. That boost of confidence will be massive and I can see the City attack turning it on against a leaky Southampton side.

The Saints are still yet to get a win this season in the Premier League. After going 2-0 up in a crucial six-pointer against Leicester, they somehow capitulated as The Foxes went on to win 2-3. Russell Martin will be scratching his head wondering how his side let the lead go, with many plaudits going to Southampton's tormenter Abdul Fatawu.

The comparisons drawn between Southampton and Burnley of last season are uncanny. Two sides who are eager to play out from the back, managed by exciting young managers. However, the execution is lacking as well as the managerial naivety, especially in difficult matches. Burnley under Kompany also had an issue with letting leads slip. I think Russell Martin will be a great manager some day, but he needs to learn to add some pragmatism to his game.

This game will only go one way. I can see City goals galore after their unified display midweek, putting to bed some questionable performances. If The Saints continue to play out from the back, I fear that this could be quite a high score.

Jack's Prediction: Manchester City 6-1 Southampton

The Six-Pointer:

Brighton vs Wolves, 26/10 3pm KO

In what could be an exciting end-to-end attacking game, a win for Wolves is vital after a torrid start to the campaign. Having endured a horrific fixture run, Gary O'Neil's side can now look forward to an easier set of fixtures, needing to secure their first win of the season as quickly as possible.

O'Neil will take many positives over their gutting last minute loss to Manchester City after holding them at 1-1 for the large majority of the game. They limited City to efforts outside of the box with Craig Dawson masterfully marking Erling Haaland out of the game. But, the Premier League is a cruel mistress, as John Stones' header took away what would have been a valuable point for Wolves.

Looking on the brighter side, Wolves fan would be much happier with their teams performance on the weekend. The wing-backs were attacking with intent and Larsen and Cunha were linking up well. Defensively, they've been suspect all season, but it was a much better showing, finally doing the basics that has been missing for the whole season.

Brighton snatched a 0-1 away win against out of form Newcastle thanks to Danny Welbeck. The Seagulls delivered a dogged performance to keep out a rather toothless Newcastle team, although they called on some smart saves from Verbruggen to keep the clean sheet.

That's back-to-back wins against 2 of last year's top 6, pushing Brighton up to 5th in the table. Pending results, a win against Wolves could move The Seagulls up to 3rd! Although they won't be without the injured Welbeck, Brighton still look mesmerising in attack. A leaky Wolves defence should play straight into their hands.

This match could be an exciting end to end game, with both sides better offensively than defensively. From a Wolves perspective, 3 points would be sensational to kickstart their season and better run of fixtures. If Wolves are clinical and precise with their counterattacks, they may have lots of joy against Brighton's usual high line. For Brighton, quick passing and interchanging of players could bamboozle the Wolves backline, leading to spaces for their tricky dribblers.

Jack's Prediction: Brighton 4-2 Wolves