Emboldened by back-to-back victories, Liverpool visit longstanding rivals Arsenal on Monday looking to score points in the early-season battle for position in the Premier League.
Liverpool lost 4-1 on their last trip to the Emirates Stadium in April as their challenge for a Champions League place faded, with Brendan Rodgers’s side taking just eight points from a possible 27 in the run-in.
But having beaten Stoke City and Bournemouth, and with Arsenal having lost 2-0 at home to West Ham United on the opening weekend, Liverpool return to north London with confidence at least partially restored.
“No matter when these games come in the season, they’re always good for the psychological effect,” Liverpool manager Rodgers told his pre-match press conference.
“Of course, we’ve got tough games (to come) away from home, but we’ll arrive into the game with confidence.
“We know they’re an outstanding group of players with some quality individual players, but there’s a real focus in this group for this season, a real toughness mentally.
“And we know we’ve got that ability to scrap and to fight to get a result, as well as play good football.
“So if we can go there and perform like we think we can and have that game-plan, we’re confident that we can get a result.”
Liverpool have won only once in their last 18 games at the Emirates and their 5-1 demolition of Arsenal at Anfield in February 2014 was the only success in their last eight meetings with Arsene Wenger’s side.
Both teams tend to approach games looking to dominate the ball, but Rodgers says that as far as possession is concerned, he is more interested in quality than quantity.
“If you look at Arsenal’s last 10 games that they’ve lost at home, the teams that have won there, it’s been about dangerous possession,” he said.
“The teams that have been there have only averaged around four shots on target and with 43 percent possession.
