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Premier League | Gameweek 20
Dec 29, 2018 at 5.30pm UK
 
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5-1

Firmino (14', 16', 65' pen.), Mane (32'), Salah (45' pen.)
FT(HT: 4-1)

Combined XI: Liverpool vs. Arsenal

:Headline: Combined XI: Liverpool vs. Arsenal: ID:345245: from db_amp
Ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Arsenal, Sports Mole selects a strongest combined XI from the two squads.

The final round of Premier League matches in 2018 contains a top-five battle on Saturday as unbeaten league leaders Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield.

Results have fallen very kindly for Jurgen Klopp's side over the Christmas period, leaving them six points clear at the top of the table halfway through the season.

However, Arsenal are one of only three teams they have failed to beat so far this season and the Gunners will be looking to bounce back from a run of just one win in four games.

Here, Sports Mole selects its strongest combined XI from both squads, using only players available for this weekend's match.



Liverpool boast the best defensive record after 19 games of any top-flight season in English football history, so they have to dominate the defence in this team too considering Arsenal have shipped 25 goals to Liverpool's seven.

Alisson Becker is an easy choice in goal ahead of Bernd Leno, while Arsenal's injury problems in defence also make choosing the back four even easier. Hector Bellerin, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding remain sidelined, while Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal are doubtful.

Trent Alexander-Arnold returned from his own injury absence against Newcastle United in midweek - a match which saw Dejan Lovren score the opener. Lovren's place in this team is perhaps the most at risk with Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis Papastathopoulos providing competition, but he is beginning to shed his error-prone reputation this season.

Much of that could be down to the commanding presence of Virgil van Dijk alongside him, with his displays this season leading to some proclaiming him the best defender in the world, while Andrew Robertson continues to go from strength to strength at left-back.

Arsenal's first representative comes in midfield as Lucas Torreira earns a place, although there is plenty of competition from both sides in that area of the field. Granit Xhaka has improved this season while Matteo Guendouzi has also made a positive start to life in North London.

Any of Liverpool's midfielders - James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum or Naby Keita - could easily slot into this team, but purely on recent form we have opted for Fabinho, who has really settled at Anfield now and registered his first goal for the club against Newcastle on Boxing Day.

Liverpool dominate the forward positions too with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah all making the team, although the latter features on the right this time rather than his newer position leading the line.

Salah's relocation is down to the presence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front, meaning that the league's top two goalscorers feature in this XI. The likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette were all in contention for the front four positions, but the level of quality was just too high for them to get into this team.

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last updated article - 2019-01-02 18:39:27:
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
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