Pre-Match Report

U-23s: Arsenal v Liverpool - The Brief

Nketiah against Coventry City

Our under-23s will be hoping to return to winning ways on Friday as they host Liverpool at Meadow Park.

THE STORY SO FAR

Freddie Ljungberg’s side head into this fixture unbeaten in their last four PL2 outings, off the back of a difficult 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers on Monday night.

A number of regulars were absent from the squad, and as a result, Ljungberg was forced into fielding a heavily-rotated side. 

Following a low-key first-half performance we kicked off after the restart in our usual attacking style, but not long after the break Charlie Gilmour was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Lewis Travis.

From there we delivered an organised and resilient defensive performance, but failed to capitalise on our late chances to secure all three points.

Prior to this we’d recorded back-to-back wins in the PL2, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and West Ham United 3-1. 

A win on Friday night could see us move top of the table. 

Premier League 2 table

THE OPPOSITION

Liverpool won their last PL2 outing as they defeated Swansea City 3-0 - but that was their first leaguevictory of the season, having failed to win any of their opening four fixtures.

First-teamers Nathaniel Clyne, Divock Origi and Dominic Solanke were all selected to start, so we’ll need to be wary of their quality and experience if they’re handed gametime on Friday.

Liverpool kicked off their season with a 0-0 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, before claiming back-to-back 1-1 draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. These results were followed by a 2-1 home defeat by West Ham United.

ONE TO WATCH

After drawing a blank against Blackburn Rovers, the return of Eddie Nketiah will provide a big boost for Ljungberg’s side.

Nketiah celebrates

Not only did he score off the bench in his last outing for the under-23s, he’s also been learning from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in first-team training. 

Nketiah’s made four appearances in the PL2 this season, scoring three goals along the way.

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