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Mikel Arteta is confident his Arsenal players can cope with the “jungle” atmosphere Liverpool’s supporters will generate at Anfield in Sunday’s Premier League contest.
Arsenal have won seven Premier League games in a row to retain a healthy lead at the summit, but they have lost each of their past six top-flight visits to Liverpool.
Gunners boss Arteta was captured playing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ during training ahead of Arsenal’s most recent trip to Anfield in November 2021, which resulted in a 4-0 loss.
Speaking ahead of his side’s latest visit to the red half of Merseyside this weekend, Arteta explained that rather unorthodox ploy.
“You have to prepare the players, you have to tell them what they’re going to be facing and you have to recognise that,” he said.
“An error and a mistake comes after an opportunity to do that and develop yourself. You have to expose yourself.
“You cannot train the players in the zoo and then go to the jungle on Sunday. It’s impossible.”
While Liverpool are struggling down in eighth place, 29 points adrift of Arsenal, they have won five of their past six home league games.
The Reds have won the past three of those games by an aggregate 11-0 scoreline and have not conceded at Anfield in their last seven hours and 26 minutes of league football.
But Arteta believes his side, who are looking to complete their first league double over Liverpool since the 2009-10 campaign, can cope with whatever is thrown at them.
“The team is full of enthusiasm and positivity,” he said. “We know that we have a big challenge.
“But it is a big opportunity to go to Anfield and do something we haven’t done in many years and that is what [has been] driving the team the last few days.”
