Arsenal face top of the table Liverpool on Sunday afternoon as they look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.

It has been a turbulent few weeks for the Gunners with red cards, injuries and a loss to Bournemouth causing them to stutter.

Keeping 11 men on the pitch has been a big issue so far this season, with three reds in the opening eight league games.

It’s a small sample size but Arsenal have won all five games when they’ve kept 11 men on the pitch and dropped points in all three they haven’t.

Step one against Liverpool is not picking up any red cards.

William Saliba was the latest recipient of a red card which will cause him to miss the Liverpool game. Given Arsenal’s collection of fit defenders, Jakub Kiwior could be the one to step up this weekend.

Suspensions have piled on top of injuries with Bukayo Saka and Jurien Timber joining the likes of Martin Odegaard on the sidelines.

It has forced Mikel Arteta to chop and change his line-up frequently which has seemed to hinder the team’s fluidity. Arteta hasn’t been perfect in his team selections but the inability to name a consistent side is clearly having an effect.

In the 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Riccardo Calafiori came off with a leg injury, adding more doubt ahead of Liverpool.

What Arteta does have is a resilient group and one that is more than capable of delivering a response. We saw that against Manchester City and if this team want to win the title, we’ll need to see it again here.

Perhaps Arsenal’s best opportunity will come through Gabriel Martinelli who is slowly but surely looking like his old self, full of direct running and confidence around the box.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold’s tendency to go roaming around the pitch, Martinelli could be the man to unlock the Liverpool defence.

The Reds have been flying under new manager Arne Slot, beating Chelsea last time out and having conceded the fewest goals so far in the league.

But it’s no time for excuses, Arsenal need to show up, keep 11 men on the pitch and lay down a marker.