14 min Arsenal are starting to dominate in midfield, but do they have enough attacking edge to create? Their trio is an attacker short, I think, and I wonder if they might find better chemistry with Guimaraes seeking to control so Rice can gambol forward. Oh, and as I type, they do just that, Rice thwacking high.

13 min “Just because Arteta’s paranoid, doesn’t mean his team didn’t weren’t pipped to first three years running by a club conspiring against the league,” writes Kári Tulinius. “However, because of his personal employment history, he can’t bring that up, and instead talks like the relative you least want to be seated next to at the holiday dinner.”

I’m not sure how much fun he’d be even in different circumstances.

10 min A poor touch from Nyoni, who chases it and this time, introduces studs to heel, Havertz down. Somehow, he once again avoids a booking when really, he’s doing well to still be on the pitch; the first one was a stonewaller and the second wasn’t far off it, while I’ve not a clue how the combination of the two lead to no sanction.

3 min “Interesting to see if Arteta has learned anything about the whole technical area thing, coz his ‘dossier’ comments positively reek of someone with zero self-awareness,” reckons Davew Estherby. “It’s not just the leaving of the area, it’s the going on the pitch, blocking players making a run down the wing, interfering with throw-ins, kicking balls away etc that annoys everybody so much. It’s not ‘gamesmanship’, it’s cheating, and he does it every single match.”

Part of me wonders if it’s a lack of self-control more than a mendacious attempt to affect the game – his level of obsession is too much for him to resist.

1 min Liverpool start quickly, Raya forced to clear quickly and leathering into the closing Isak, but the ball flies away to safety nonetheless. Oooh, and when Odegaard finds space in midfield, Nyoni lets the moment control him, lunging and introducing studs to achilles; he’s lucky to avoid a yellow card and really, that was a a yellow plus.

“Much as it pains me as an Arsenal fan,” begins Charles Antaki, “I think I can offer at least some hope to Matt Dony and others of his Liverpool persuasion; all he needs to do is look at the number nine slot in the Arsenal team. He will find happy encouragement in the display provided for the nation’s entertainment by Kai Havertz against the mighty Fleetwood Town FC . And, if we are continue being mean, Matt will probably chuckle at the sight of his partner in ignominy, Viktor Gyokeres, waiting on the bench as a possible, worse, replacement.”

Talking of which, what did people think of the Dowman controversy? It was, I think, another example of football’s strange morality, in which doing something dangerous that could seriously hurt, is viewed more leniently than petulant revenge.

In terms of the response, I expected a bit more remonstration from Arsenal’s senior players and, though I understand why Arteta opted to teach a lesson about responsibility, I’m surprised it happened in public.

“Trey Nyoni has had to be patient,” emails Matt Dony. “His first appearance was under Klopp, a lifetime ago. But I’m really pleased he’s now getting the chance to properly establish himself. And this as an enormous vote of confidence! Big picture, Arsenal are the better team, and I can’t say I’m hopeful. But these last few weeks, Liverpool have looked different. Iraola is getting there. It looks like his side. Today could be interesting.”

I quite fancy Liverpool for this one. Though I don’t love their defence and think the lack of physicality in midfield might be a problem, they have many more ways to create chances, with possession or out of nothing, plus they’re confident.

Iraola says Nyoni is playing because he’s aggressive, quality, and able to cover ground. Arsenal don’t give you chances, so his team need to be clinical.

The strengths and weaknesses of Liverpool are different to Bournemouth, so the game-pan has to be different – with them, he had a good record against Arsenal. They’re on a run of playing the best teams andhe hopes his team win the duels and one v ones.

As for Arsenal, I do worry about their ability to threaten. They’ll look to take heat out of the game, Guimaraes popping passes about with Odegaard. I think we’ll see Havertz to try and pull about or pin Liverpool’s centre-backs, with Tzolis in particular seeking to come infield and get shots off; when the wingers cross, expect Havertz to attack the front post.

I also imagine Odegaard, a quality eight but less good as a 10, and Rice, will look to run off Nyoni and past Havertz to try and score.

So where is the game? Liverpool will look to get men around the ball when Arsenal have it, opening the pitch for switches should they win possession. And when they don’t, they’ll run like mad to recover it, stretching play and passing forwards, facilitating that by conserving energy every now and again when Nyoni slows the game down.

In particular, I expect they’ll ask Bradley Barcola to target the space left when Riccardo Calafiori goes off on adventures, with Alexander Isak pulling away for cut-backs and shooting quickly with little backlift, while Florian Wirtz looks to slip passes in behind – if he can work quickly enough in the maelstrom of the match.

As for Arsenal, I imagine Lewis-Skelly was very close. His defender’s instinct and ability to run with the ball are superb, but I wonder if Arteta reckoned he has those qualities already, in Declan Rice. What Guimaraes gives, on the other hand, is cannier passing and a better sense of when to go and when to stay.

Otherwise, though Eberechi Eze was fantastic when Palace won at Anfield in 2024, it’s no surprise to see him left out for this one. Arteta prefers predictability to mavericks but also, his ceiling isn’t high enough to compensate for his floor, while Madueke offers pace and directness regardless of how well he’s playing.

Taking a closer look at the teams, save Nyoni, Liverpool are as expected. Like many, no doubt, I’d have loved to see Rio Ngumoha instead of Cody Gakpo, and I don’t think it’ll be long before he establishes himself. For this one, though, I understand why Iraola has gone for a bit more height, physicality, and experience – defensively as well as going forward, and I imagine we’ll see the young man in the final half-hour as legs tire.

Mikel Arteta says “you have to be really precise on those moments” to win at Anfield, which Arsenal haven’t done in some time – September 2012 was the last time in the league.

Arsenal expect a difficult game from Iraola, with a vertical and chaotic game-model. They had various ankle issues after Tuesday’s games, so he was forced to make “certain decisions”, such as starting Tzolis after time out.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Nyoni, Mac Allister; Barcola, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak. Subs: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Tsimikas, Munoz, Gravenberch, Koumas, Ngumoha.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Guimaraes, Odegaard; Madueke, Havertz, Tzolis. Subs: Kepa, Mosquera, White, Hincapie, Eze, Gyokeres, Merino, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly.

Referee: Andy Madley (Huddersfield)

So much of life is luck: when we’re born, where we’re born and to whom we’re born; the the skills we have; who we meet and when we meet them.

Liverpool have lost one game this season. On the Premier League’s opening weekend, they needed a penalty in ninth minute of injury time for a point at Newcastle, recently benefitted from Brentford having two players sent off and, in midweek, Emmanuel Emegha missed a penalty that would’ve sent Chelsea past them in the League Cup.

Arsenal, meanwhile, spent chunks of last season struggling to score from open play, benefiting from avant-garde refereeing calls at set-pieces – one in particular when the title felt in the balance – and the absence of high-class challengers. In the annals of champions, they are not proximate to the greatest, yet Mikel Arteta’s men have every chance of doing what Arsène Wenger’s legends could not: retain a league title.

That, though, is only half of the story. Just as being blessed with intelligence and looks, helpful neurochemistry and secure home environment, is nothing whatsoever to do with those lucky enough to experience them, so finding the devotion, composure, discipline and focus to exploit that happy chance is within our gift. Who we are is genetics and circumstance, but also, who we are is a choice we’re able to make every single day.

While Andoni Iraola bedded in as Liverpool manager, his team persevered in the early stages, making the most of the opportunities which presented to establish standards and momentum, such that now, with the new manager’s methods taking effect, they’re well placed to impose the natural talent that suffuses their squad.

Arsenal, meanwhile, became champions thanks principally to monomaniacal resolve, separating themselves from the rest with their unity and organisation. Without that, it wouldn’t have mattered what was going on elsewhere; because of it, they’ve earned the freedom to express themselves in more expansive style.

Consequently, this afternoon’s match should be a belter, two teams making the most of what they give and what’s been given to them. Liverpool play the faster, more improvisational game, with Arsenal bringing the solidity and certainty they lack; Arsenal are certain they can take the title, while Liverpool will be starting to think it possible.

For either side, a win today would be a statement – to themselves as much as to everyone else. And ultimately, for all that goes on around us, what really defines what we make of life is how we perceive ourselves.