Mikel Arteta hopes FA Cup clash against Liverpool is start of another ‘beautiful journey’

LONDON – Neither Arsenal nor Liverpool would have preferred to play each other in the third round of the FA Cup on Jan 7, but Mikel Arteta hopes the “incredible clash” signals the start of another good run in the competition.

The Gunners boss won the FA Cup in his first season with Arsenal in 2019-20, beating fellow big teams Manchester City and Chelsea to lift the trophy and extend the club’s record to 14 wins.

He is expecting another humdinger of a match against the English Premier League leaders, after the two sides played out a thrilling 1-1 draw at Anfield just before Christmas.

“We have a great history in this competition with our two clubs. We have a big opponent to start with and again make another beautiful journey,” Arteta said ahead of the match at the Emirates.

“The draw is the draw. We played two weeks ago in the league, an incredible match and I am sure it will be again.

“We don’t have a choice (on the draw). I am sure both teams would have been expecting or hoping for something different, but we have this incredible clash in the third round and we have to cope with it. We expect a great game.”

Although Arsenal were top of the league at Christmas, they have dropped to fourth amid a slump in form, with fingers being pointed at the lack of goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.

Martinelli and Odegaard topped the club’s scoring charts with 15 league goals last season while Saka had 14 goals and 11 assists. However, the goals have dried up this season, with the trio netting a combined 12 goals.

“What they did last year is exceptional. To maintain those numbers, we knew it would be hard because it was a one-off. Not just for us, but a one-off in the league,” Arteta added.

“It’s something that we have to improve with how we transfer those chances into goals.”

With injuries and players away on international duty, the Arsenal squad is stretched thin, especially at fullback with Takehiro Tomiyasu away at the Asian Cup and Oleksandr Zinchenko a doubt.

However, Arteta said there is a possibility that Arsenal may not sign new players in January, saying that the emphasis is on “making the most of what we have”.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, does not really have a replacement for the Africa Cup of Nations-bound Mohamed Salah, who plays on the right side of his attack and has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season.

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was touted as a potential option, but he has been ruled out for at least two matches with a hamstring injury suffered in the New Year’s Day win over Newcastle.

“I think we played against West Ham (in the League Cup quarter-final in December) without Mo on that side and Harvey Elliott played there,” Klopp said.

“We have different offensive options who can all play that wing in a different way. But nobody else can play like Mo, it is not possible – we just have to use the boys with their skills.

“Do we want to play without Mo? No. In the past we didn’t have to do it often but we always found a way. But we play Arsenal and you can lose to Arsenal with Mo Salah, so it’s possible to lose to them without him.”

Klopp also said he was bracing himself for a challenging January.

Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal will be followed by the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Fulham on Jan 10.

“Some teams obviously don’t play that often in January,” he said.

“We don’t have that, we have now with the semi-final.

“I think a rematch against Arsenal would really not be helpful (third-round ties will be replayed if they end in a draw). That’s how it is, because it just doesn’t fit in (the schedule), would kill the winter break, stuff like this.” REUTERS, AFP