Any time any combination of the big boys gets together in the Premier League, it's a massive story and a match which can't be missed. When it's the very first week of the EPL season, it's even more notable. Liverpool and Arsenal were both relatively disappointing in 2015-16, and both are going to hope to go on title runs in 2016-17. Those runs start Sunday when they meet each other in one of the showcase games of the first weekend of the year.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal +127
Liverpool +220
Draw +246
Over/Under 2.5 (under -120)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Arsenal really has to be favored in this match because of its standing as the home team. Last season, the Gunners went 12-4-3 at home and outscored teams by 20 goals, one of the top margins in the Premier League.
Still, Liverpool came on strong at the end of the year and actually tied for the third most away wins in the top flight with eight.
Arsenal is set at +127 on the moneyline and is PK -165 on the Asian Handicap. The total is basically average at this level at 2.5 and -120 vig on the under.
KEY INJURIES
Arsenal really had to deal with a ton of injuries last term, and this year is shaping up to be much of the same. Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny won't be ready to start the season after they recover from France's long Euro 2016 run. Mesut Ozil isn't ready to start playing club soccer at the start of the year either. Serge Gnabry is still playing for Germany in the Olympics as well. Carl Jenkinson is still recovering from surgery at the start of 2016 and isn't likely to play for at least another month, and Danny Welbeck going to likely miss the first half of the season after his nasty knee injury he picked up last year against Man City in May. Jack Wilshere is also a question mark after his injury-riddled 2015-16 season, as he hasn't played yet in this preseason.
Mamadou Sakho would love to be ready to play in this match for the Reds, but he's likely out for at least a few weeks after suffering a setback from his Achilles injury he suffered last year. James Milner has a heel injury and could miss two or more months.
LIVE BETTING
The real question in this match is how Arsenal will play at the back. What we've seen out of Liverpool in this preseason is an attacking brand of soccer, and now the team has a real finisher in Saido Mane, a man who has had a fantastic preseason. He's the most dangerous player on the pitch, and when joined by Daniel Sturridge and the rest of the players who have really grown since Jurgen Klopp took over as the boss for this team, Liverpool could be quite dangerous
Still, Petr Cech remains one of the top net minders in the world in spite of his age, and he allowed just 11 goals last season over the course of the 18 matches.
QUICK PICK
With all of the absentees from this Arsenal side, we think there's a real opportunity for Liverpool to get off on the right foot in this one. The Reds have a Top 4 team as we see it, and we think the signing of Mane really is going to make a massive difference.
Arsenal will still be a Top 4 threat as well, but this team needs to get its players back from the Euro 2016 campaign before it can be taken dead seriously. The oddsmakers are paying more attention to the names on the fronts of the jerseys than the names on the backs, and we think Liverpool has a ton of value as a result. Don't be shocked if it wins this one at the Emirates to kick off the season.
Premier League Odds: Liverpool 3, Arsenal 1
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between Arsenal and Liverpool will kick off on Sunday, August 14, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. ET. This fixture from Emirates Stadium can be seen live on NBC Sports Network.
