LONDON COLNEY, England — Mikel Arteta has emphasized that Arsenal has a “point to prove” in their upcoming match against the defending champions Liverpool, as they strive to maintain their momentum in the Premier League title race.
Currently, Arsenal is positioned six points clear at the top of the table, seeking their first league title since 2004, following a second-place finish behind Liverpool last season, marking their third consecutive season in that position.
In an earlier encounter, Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Anfield in August, presenting an early challenge. However, Arne Slot’s team arrives for Thursday’s home match trailing Arsenal by 14 points after a difficult season, despite having invested almost £450 million ($607.04m) during the summer transfer window.
“This is a huge match against the reigning Premier League champions, and we have something to prove,” Arteta stated.
“We are at the top of the table and playing at home against a very strong opponent. Our goal is to maintain our lead, which requires us to perform excellently throughout the entire match,” he added. “We just achieved that recently against Bournemouth following a great victory against Aston Villa, and we need to keep this trend going.”
“Being in this position, it’s crucial for us to extend our lead, and this demands unwavering determination and focus from our team.”
Arteta confirmed that Kai Havertz trained on Wednesday and is nearing a return after undergoing knee surgery, though Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera will remain unavailable.
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