Arsenal want to end Liverpool’s hopes this weekend of Premier League title

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, right, talks to Steven Gerrard during a break in their English Premier League match against Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England December 21, 2014. REUTShow more

Under normal circumstances away fans would be content with coming away from the Emirates Stadium with a point, but this weekend Liverpool will be desperate for all three.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United and a further point behind this weekend’s hosts, Arsenal. The ramifications of defeat here are severe: it would put a huge dent in Liverpool’s hopes of securing Uefa Champions League football next season - they could conceivably be eight points adrift of United should they lose and United beat struggling Aston Villa at Old Trafford later that same afternoon.

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United may have a tougher run-in than their rivals for fourth place, with games against all three clubs situated above them in the league table still to come - by comparison Liverpool’s solitary trip to Chelsea in May completes their commitments against top-half opposition following this weekend - but Liverpool would surely prefer not to be playing catch-up at this late stage.

The question hanging over Brendan Rodgers and his side is how they will respond to having lost their unbeaten run against United. Against Arsenal they face a team who have arguably replaced them as the division’s most in-form team, with Arsene Wenger’s side stringing together six consecutive Premier League victories (more than anyone else).

Further concern for Liverpool will be the Gunners’ recent purple patch in front of goal: it has been 10 matches since they last failed to score, and in all but one of those encounters they scored more than once, averaging 2.4 goals per game in this spell overall.

Arsenal’s grip on Champions League football looks to be firmly in their own hands with a seven point cushion separating them and this weekend’s visitors, but with just two points separating second-placed Manchester City from fourth-placed Manchester United, Wenger will be wary of slipping into fourth and needing to qualify for next season’s Champions League group stage.

The good news for the Arsenal manager is that his side appear to have the tools required to unlock Liverpool’s improved defence. The Gunners have been lethal at close range this season, converting 48.1 per cent of their efforts inside the six yard box - which only Chelsea have bettered - while Liverpool, who will be without Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard through suspension this weekend, have struggled to keep opponents out at close range.

Only lowly Aston Villa have conceded a greater share of the efforts they have faced from inside their six-yard box than 47.1 per cent allowed through by Liverpool’s defence. If Wenger has done his homework, expect to see Olivier Giroud making room for himself in the danger zone and exploiting the Reds’ failure to clear their lines.

The Gunners also look well primed to make an impression early on, having conceded just once in the opening quarter of an hour this season and with just 8.8 per cent of the total shots they face arriving during this initial period - both fewer than any other team in the division. This is in stark contrast to Liverpool, who concede a greater share of shots and goals during the first 15 minutes than all but five other Premier League clubs.

With injuries and suspensions limiting Brendan Rodgers’ ability to field a full strength team, this could be his biggest test of the season. If Liverpool are to retain any realistic hopes of Champions League football next season, their fans will hope it is one he manages to pass.

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