Liverpool take on Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend with an early opportunity for Arne Slot’s side to show their title credentialsArsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be preparing his side to take on Liverpool this weekend.(Image: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock)
Liverpool take on Arsenal at Anfield this weekend with both teams looking to maintain their 100 per cent start to the campaign, but the Gunners will be without a key player for the trip north. Arne Slot’s side saw off Bournemouth on the opening day of the Premier League season in emphatic fashion with a 4-2 win at Anfield, before The Reds endured more difficult test against Newcastle United on Monday.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford before thrashing Leeds United 5-0 at the Emirates last time out. There’s plenty of new faces in the ranks of both teams with last season’s top-two looking to do battle for the title once again.
However, the Gunners will be without Kai Havertz for the trip to Anfield and the German international will miss Germany’s two World Cup qualifiers in the September. The 26-year-old picked up a knee injury in the win over Man United, before sitting out of the win against the Whites.
Men’s national team director at the German football federation, Rudi Voller, has confirmed Havertz will miss their World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Northern Ireland next month. The German chief also suggests that Havertz may need to undergo surgery on the injury.
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“He certainly won’t make it, he has a knee injury,” Voller said. “We don’t know exactly how it will go in the coming weeks, whether surgery is upcoming or it will be treated conservatively.”
It’s a bitter blow for the Gunners having only just welcomed back Havertz from a lengthy spell on the sidelines that kept him out for three months of the last campaign. He did return for the final two games of the 2025/45 season, but Liverpool had already wrapped up the Premier League title.
Much like the Reds, Arsenal have spent big in the summer transfer market, brining in Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Christian Norgaard, Christhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Arteta has somewhat of a selection headache ahead of this weekend’s clash with Liverpool, with Bukayo Saka also a potential doubt. The 23-year-old limped off against Leeds United with a “significant” problem, according to the Gunners boss in his post-match press conference, with early assessments potentially ruling him out for four weeks.
Martin Odegaard is another doubt, having been substituted in the win over Leeds with a shoulder injury, though has been included in Norway’s international squad to face Finland and Moldova.
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