Arteta on top-of-the-table clash with Liverpool

Mikel Arteta has looked ahead to Sunday’s big Premier League game with Liverpool, sharing his thoughts in Friday’s pre-match press conference.

A win at Emirates Stadium would see us close the gap to two points to Jurgen Klopp’s side, and Mikel says there are positives to take from our recent meetings with Liverpool.

“What we need to do is play the way we played in the last two games against them, and be more efficient in the areas that are going to decide the game,” he said.

“[I’m] very excited, it’s always great to prepare a game against Liverpool; how good they are, they dominate every aspect of the game. We play at home, and what I sense is a real sense of positivity and enthusiasm around the place.”

We showed earlier this season how capable we are of winning the biggest games when we earned a 1-0 victory over Manchester City, and Mikel feels we are well equipped going into another huge fixture.

“Obviously, we had some big experiences and what we did last season was another big step,” he said. “This year, what we’re trying to do is something even better, and we are in the Champions League as well, which is a big step, and yeah, the squad is better.

“This season, we have beaten big teams already and it’s another opportunity to beat Liverpool now and be in a much better place.

“We talk about momentum; we’ve won the last two games and want to win the third one, especially at home with our people. It’s going to be an incredible atmosphere, and we’re going to need that, so I encourage everybody to do that, to play every single ball with us, and if we do that, we’re going to have a big chance to win the game.”