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Winless Reds against Gunners
09/11/2006 16:45 - (SA)
London - Liverpool are winless away from home this season in the Premier League.
Don't look for a breakthrough this weekend.
Liverpool plays at Arsenal on Sunday and the Reds, despite an edge over Arsenal in a series that dates from 1893, haven't had much luck lately in north London.
Liverpool have not won at Arsenal in the last six league games. Those failures came at the Gunners' old Highbury Stadium. This time they'll meet in the new 60 000-seat Emirates Stadium, just a five-minute walk from the old venue.
Both clubs rested many of their top players in League Cup games this week. Arsenal defeated Everton 1-0 and Liverpool beat Birmingham City by the same score.
However, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez declined to rest Mohamed Sissoko, one of the players the lineup-switching Spaniard has rarely benched. The Mali midfielder suffered a shoulder injury in the first half at City and may be out for at least a month.
"We don't know for how long Sissoko will be out but it maybe quite some time," Benitez said. "It maybe will be more than one month. I hope he is not out a lot of time but I think it will be serious."
Trying to rebound
Liverpool's last Premier League victory at Arsenal was 1-0 in 2000. The last three meetings have seen Arsenal win 2-1, 3-1 and 4-2.
Arsenal are trying to rebound from last weekend's 1-0 loss at West Ham, which saw rival managers Arsene Wenger and Alan Pardew pushing and shoving each other on the sideline after Marlon Harewood's late winner.
Both clubs need a victory to stay in the league race.
Manchester United leads the league with 28 points, followed by Chelsea on 25. Arsenal have only 18 points, but have played one fewer game than the leaders. Liverpool have only 17 points.
In Sunday's other game, Tottenham, buoyed by last weekend's win over champion Chelsea, seek to extend their unbeaten run to 10 games at newly promoted Reading.
Eight games are set for Saturday.
Manchester United play at Blackburn, and Chelsea are home against Watford in two key games.
In the other six matches it's: Manchester City v Newcastle, Everton v Aston Villa, Middlesbrough v West Ham, Portsmouth v Fulham, Sheffield United v Bolton, Wigan v Charlton.
- AP
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