Venue: Emirates Stadium Date: Sunday, 21 December
Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8 FM, 1485 MW and DAB, updates on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sport website & highlights on Match of the Day
Wenger looks ahead to Liverpool and Roma
Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri could return from an ankle injury but Kolo Toure is a doubt with a calf strain.
Striker Nicklas Bendtner is struggling with a knee problem, while Theo Walcott (shoulder) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) are still out.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has no new injury problems to contend with.
Striker Fernando Torres (hamstring) is out for at least one more week, while full-back Fabio Aurelio (calf) may return after three games out.
Arsenal (from): Almunia, Sagna, Nasri, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy, Denilson, Fabregas, Song, Diaby, Wilshere, Eboue, Fabianski, Vela, Ramsey, Van Persie, Adebayor, Bendtner.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Aurelio, Babel, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Alonso, Riera, Kuyt, Keane, Ngog, Cavalieri, Insua, El Zhar.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on closing the eight-point gap with league leaders Liverpool:
"It is an opportunity for us to catch them which we want to take.
"At the moment the race is still very tight because it looks for me, for the first time in six or seven years, that the number of points for the winner of this league will be much lower than usual because everybody drops points against everybody.
"For us the first step is to get back into the race, and to get back into the race the important thing is for us to beat Liverpool."
Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee on boss Rafael Benitez being absent from training this week:
"The plan of our weeks and months is always well in advance so we knew what we were going to do.
"The players have done really well, they have focused and concentrated with all the stuff which has been going on in the background.
"But it is a credit to him and the way he has set things in place that it means we can go on with him not being here.
"He doesn't like being ill and he is not happy when he is away from the football club but he will be there on Sunday."
Two of the elite of English league football go head-to-head at the Emirates Stadium in a pre-Christmas clash, each aiming to complete a hat-trick of victories over fellow 'Big Four' clubs.
Arsenal and Liverpool meet for the first time since the seven-day trilogy last April, which culminated in Liverpool's 4-2 home victory in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
Liverpool top the table having made their best ever start to a Premier League season; Arsenal have all but fallen out of the race with five defeats. No club has won the Premier League title with more than five losses for seven years, although victory would leave the Gunners just five points behind the Reds.
The Gunners have been beaten more often (14 times) and dropped more points (60) in the Premier League against Liverpool, than against any other club.
Distance between the clubs: 209 miles (336 kilometres)
ARSENAL
Going into the weekend: 5th 30 points
1. Picked up seven points out of nine since losing 3-0, away to Manchester City on 22 November.
2. Kept one clean sheet in eight league outings, but boast a 100% return from the five occasions when league shut-outs have been achieved.
3. Already beaten fellow 'Big Four' clubs, Manchester United (2-1 at home on 8 November) and Chelsea (1-2 away on 30 November).
4. Completed 26 Premier League matches without a no score draw; the visit to Wigan on 9 March being the most recent.
5. Won all six top-flight matches in which they were leading at half-time.
6. Already lost two more matches than in the whole of last season's Premier League campaign, failed to score in one more game (three to two last term), and 10 points down on this same stage a year ago when top of the table.
7. Lost and failed to score in one of the last five home league games; 0-2 against Aston Villa on 15 November.
8. Not lost at home to a fellow 'Big Four' club in nine matches; won five and drawn four against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United since a 0-2 reverse to Chelsea on 18 December 2005.
9. Holding a 100% home record against North-West clubs this season, having beaten Everton, Manchester United and Wigan.
10. Their Christmas fixtures are away to Aston Villa on Boxing Day and home to Portsmouth two days later.
LIVERPOOL
Going into the weekend: 1st 38 points
1. On the joint longest current unbeaten Premier League sequence of six matches (with Fulham); won three and drawn three since losing 2-1, away to Tottenham on 1 November.
2. The loss at White Hart Lane is their only reverse in this top-flight campaign, and in 24 Premier League outings.
3. Kept clean sheets in six of their last nine league games.
4. The only Premier League outfit yet to lose to a top-half club.
5. Won five of the last six away league games, including the last two (Bolton and Blackburn).
6. The loss at the Lane seven weeks ago is their only reverse in 12 top-flight games on the road.
7. Already beaten fellow 'Big Four' sides Manchester United (2-1 at home on 13 September), and Chelsea (0-1 away on 26 October).
8. Recorded goalless draws on their last two top-flight matches against London clubs, home to Fulham on 22 November and home to West Ham on 1 December.
9. The Christmas fixtures are home to Bolton on Boxing Day and away to Newcastle two days later.
ARSENAL
Manuel ALMUNIA and Gael CLICHY are the only remaining players to have started all of Arsenal's Premier League matches this season.
If selected:-
Johan DJOUROU will be making his 50th Premier League appearance for the Gunners.
If on the field from the outset:-
CLICHY will be making his 100th Premier League start for Arsenal.
LIVERPOOL
Jamie CARRAGHER is the only remaining outfield player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Liverpool's Premier League matches this season.
Goalkeeper Jose REINA, also an ever-present, leads the race for the Barclays Golden Glove having kept 10 clean sheets.
If selected:-
Jamie CARRAGHER will be making his 550th club career appearance - all in Liverpool colours.
The Merseysiders are hunting their first league win in nine attempts at Arsenal. Their only victory in 10 visits was on 13 February 2000 when Titi Camara scored the only goal of the game.
There has not been an away win in a fixture between Arsenal and Liverpool, either in London or at Anfield, in nine meetings.
Home and away
League (inc PL): Arsenal 58 wins, Liverpool 68, Draws 42
Prem: Arsenal 9 wins, Liverpool 14, Draws 9
at Arsenal only
League (inc PL): Arsenal 37 wins, Liverpool 20, Draws 27
Prem: Arsenal 6 wins, Liverpool 5, Draws 5
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
5 April 2008 - Ref: Phil Dowd
Arsenal scorer: Bendtner 54
Liverpool scorer: Crouch 42
Howard Webb (Yorkshire)
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