It's upon us. Liverpool's clash against Arsenal in the Premier League last today is probably the most important fixture of the club's season so far.
Having put last year's struggles behind them, Liverpool are back in the ascendancy and are challenging for the title, with the first-placed Gunners just one point ahead at the peak of the festive period.
Liverpool must bench £55k-p/w "game-changer" alongside Gomez
Jurgen Klopp most boldly keep this star from the starting line-up today.
ByAngus Sinclair
Jurgen Klopp's side have been immense this season with a rekindled never-say-die attitude marrying with blistering offensive credentials.
At present, the Reds are nursing several injuries to key personnel and this will be at the forefront of Klopp's mind ahead of a glorious opportunity to take the lead in a compelling title race.
Liverpool team news vs Arsenal
Ryan Gravenberch is expected to be available for Saturday's clash after the suspected hamstring injury he sustained during last week's draw against Manchester United was put down to muscular fatigue.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister, with the influential pair still a week or two away from returning to fitness.
Andrew Robertson will return to first-team training in the new year but remains out; Spanish midfielders Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara are still long-term absentees and Joel Matip's season is over after rupturing his ACL against Fulham earlier in December.
Why Darwin Nunez must start at left wing
One player who will be expected to start is Darwin Nunez, with the fleet-footed Uruguay international impressing against West Ham United on Wednesday night having been shifted to the left wing.
The 24-year-old's goalless run stretched to 11 matches, concerningly, but he bellowed his worth to his manager with a creative and impactful effort, creating four key passes, succeeding with three dribbles and incredibly winning 11 duels.
Such a feat warrants another starting berth from the left today, replacing Luis Diaz, who has not been at his best recently.
It's important to note that while Diaz might not be in the richest vein of form, he is still a brilliant, mercurial winger with pace, trickery and incisiveness in abundance.
With reporter Charlotte Coates dubbing him a "game-changer" following his match-winning performance off the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the season, the £55k-per-week ace could be a valuable weapon against a rock-solid Gunners defence.
It's just quite difficult to discredit Nunez right now after such an effective display against West Ham, and this connection with Cody Gakpo, who will be eager to sculpt some impressive form after scoring in midweek, must be allowed to bloom.
Since Diogo Jota is still injured, this is the move to make as Klopp looks to leapfrog Arsenal into pole position for Christmas Day, with high-flying Aston Villa dropping points at home to Sheffield United on Friday night.
As per FBref, the Uruguayan ranks among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 1% for shots taken, the top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 10% for aerial wins per 90.
This is all a roundabout way of stating that he is the man for the job on the left, which will enhance the hosts' offensive fluency and ensure that Liverpool have balance in their probes against Mikel Arteta's backline.
Important he may be, Nunez might not be the key component this evening, with Curtis Jones surely in line for a starting berth after his midweek masterclass.
"Truly special" Jones' time to shine
Jones was one of the most influential players during Liverpool's late-season purple patch before the summer, starting all 11 of the final Premier League fixtures, scoring three goals and supplying an assist, and impressing with his distribution and composure in the centre.
Pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has previously claimed that Jones is "not good enough", but then the ex-Aston Villa striker could not be wider of the mark, with the industrious and intelligent midfielder proving to be one of the most underrated players in Klopp's squad.
But he has been excellent this season and has scored two goals and provided three assists across all competitions this term, and must now start after starting the past four league encounters from the bench.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Passing
Aerial duels
Through balls
Tackling
*Sourced via WhoScored
The 6 foot 1 star ranks among the top 2% of midfielders for pass completion, the top 14% for goals scored, the top 5% for assists, the top 14% for progressive carries, the top 11% for successful take-ons and the top 16% for tackles per 90.
Very much the all-encompassing asset at the beating heart of Liverpool's system, Jones reannounced himself against the Hammers with two spectacular strikes, but while his innate eye for goal is a good tool for his side, it is the "phenomenal" level of his passing and ball retention that cements his standing at Anfield, as has been said by BBC Sport's Raj Chohan.
And it is because of this that he must start against Arsenal; Ryan Gravenberch is fit but does not seem to be clicking alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.
As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old complemented his two strikes with two key passes, success in both of his attempted dribbles and a 93% passing accuracy despite taking 89 touches, right in the thick of the action.
With Wataru Endo likely to anchor the midfield in Mac Allister's absence, Jones has to start to counterbalance his Hungarian teammate's creativity, keeping it crisp and ensuring that Liverpool stay on top in a midfield battle against the sensational Declan Rice.
Described as a “truly special” talent by one analyst, Liverpool's chances of defeating Arsenal will only improve with Jones deployed from the outset, allowing the likes of Nunez and Salah to flourish further up the field.
It's a gargantuan contest, but it's one that Klopp and his squad will be confident of prevailing in, assuming the lead in the title race and pushing to establish a gap.