After their Wembley heartbreak on Saturday Arsenal must travel to Anfield on Tuesday to face Rafa Benitez’s title-hopefuls Liverpool. This season Arsenal.com will be identifying the key battles for the game. We will bring you all the statistics and information a fan could need so swot up now and come Sunday you will be impressing anyone who will listen with your new-found knowledge.
Fernando Torres v Kolo Toure
Despite another spate of injuries this term, Fernando Torres has once again surged to the top of Liverpool’s Premier League goalscoring chart. The Spaniard bagged a quality brace last time out against Blackburn Rovers taking his tally to 11 in 19 appearances. His opponent will almost certainly be Kolo Toure who, Mikael Silvestre aside, is the Gunners’ only fit senior centre-half. The Ivorian boasts an 89 per cent tackling success rate and a far superior pass completion rate to Torres.
| Fernando Torres | Kolo Toure | |
| Appearances | 19 | 24 |
| Minutes played | 1335 | 1830 |
| Assists | 4 | 1 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 15 | 5 |
| Successful dribbles | 9 | 8 |
| Goals scored | 11 | 1 |
| Offsides | 14 | 1 |
| Complete passes | 59 | 100 |
| Incomplete passes | 34 | 39 |
| Shots off target | 20 | 8 |
| Shots on target | 32 | 11 |
| Woodwork struck | 3 | 0 |
| Tackles lost | 7 | 2 |
| Tackles won | 6 | 16 |
Jamie Carragher v Nicklas Bendtner
In the absence of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie, it looks likely that Nicklas Bendtner will play some part at Anfield. The young Dane has been a more than adequate back-up forward this season, bagging six goals and two assists in his 25 appearances. He could lock horns with Jamie Carragher who, remarkably, has only missed 20 minutes of Premier League action this season. Liverpool’s vice-captain has won 34 of his 40 tackles, registered two assists but also notched a couple of own goals this season.
| Jamie Carragher | Nicklas Bendtner | |
| Appearances | 32 | 25 |
| Minutes played | 2861 | 1405 |
| Assists | 2 | 2 |
| Clearances | 60 | 8 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 8 | 4 |
| Successful dribbles | 11 | 9 |
| Goals scored | 0 | 6 |
| Offsides | 0 | 4 |
| Complete passes | 153 | 76 |
| Incomplete passes | 67 | 38 |
| Shots off target | 2 | 23 |
| Shots on target | 2 | 29 |
| Tackles lost | 6 | 11 |
| Tackles won | 34 | 2 |
Albert Riera v Bacary Sagna
After missing the last two games with a virus Bacary Sagna is back in the Arsenal squad for the Anfield trip. The Frenchman looks set to face Albert Riera who has been a revelation on the left of Liverpool’s midfield this season. The Spaniard has completed 23 dribbles, scoring three goals and assisting three times in 25 appearances. But Sagna has the upper-hand in the passing stakes and has completed 26 tackles this season.
| Albert Riera | Bacary Sagna | |
| Appearances | 25 | 30 |
| Minutes | 1737 | 2520 |
| Assists | 3 | 0 |
| Unsuccessful crosses | 45 | 37 |
| Successful crosses | 3 | 4 |
| Unsuccessful dribbles | 17 | 4 |
| Successful dribbles | 23 | 10 |
| Goals scored | 3 | 0 |
| Complete passes | 101 | 137 |
| Incomplete passes | 63 | 69 |
| Shots off target | 21 | 6 |
| Shots on target | 16 | 6 |
| Tackles lost | 13 | 12 |
| Tackles won | 14 | 26 |
