Mikel Arteta faced with big Viktor Gyokeres dilemma ahead of Liverpool game

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Viktor Gyokeres has not been the prolific goalscorer that Arsenal fans hoped the club had signed last summer, and his place in the team could soon be under threat

Viktor Gyokeres is yet to fully hit his stride at Arsenal(Image: 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Plc)

Liverpool goes into this week's game against Arsenal knowing that it is the clear underdog — the Reds may be on a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but Arne Slot's men have not played a team that is anywhere near as good as Arsenal during that run of fixtures.

The weekend's results saw Arsenal open up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League standings, after Manchester City was held to a 1-1 draw by Chelsea on Sunday.

This Thursday's game at the Emirates Stadium sees last season's top two sides meet, but they will meet in very different circumstances to when they faced off at Anfield all the way back in August.

On that occasion, Liverpool and Arsenal went into the game with 100 per cent records in the league – albeit after just two games – and a stunning Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick settled proceedings.

Liverpool's winning streak continued for two more games, as the team moved onto 15 points from five games. In the 15 games since, though, Liverpool has collected just 19 more points.

Arsenal, meanwhile, has picked up 38 points from its last 15 league games, with Mikel Arteta's men now the clear favorites to claim the title.

Despite Liverpool enduring a relatively difficult season, Arteta will not take the game against Slot's side lightly, and one of the big pre-game decisions he has to make centers around what he does up front.

Viktor Gyokeres arrived in England off the back of an incredibly prolific season with Sporting Lisbon, but he is yet to convince that he has the quality to score freely in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta must decide whether to start Gyokeres against Liverpool(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

The Swede's only goal in any competition since the start of November came from the penalty spot against Everton just before Christmas, and with other players returning to contention in his position, he will have to start scoring to justify his place in the side.

Gabriel Jesus is yet to start in the league since returning from a serious knee injury, but he has come on in each of Arsenal's last five games, scoring in the recent 4-1 win over Aston Villa.

Jesus is clearly a more polished all-round player than Gyokeres, and the one thing that Gyokeres was supposed to have over Jesus and Arsenal's other forwards was goals – which he is not producing a great deal of right now.

Gyokeres can have no complaints if he is dropped from Arsenal's line-up against Liverpool, but Liverpool's players cannot concern itself too much with who may or may not start on Thursday – they just need to be ready for whoever does.