Two players who could go head-to-head when Liverpool host Arsenal on Sunday are Mohamed Salah and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, writes skysports.com’s Will Rickson.
Liverpool supplemented their attacking options during the summer with the club-record signing of Salah from Roma.
He scored more goals and also assisted more goals than any Liverpool player last season (see table below).
In fact, no Liverpool player has scored 15 or more goals in a season since Luis Suarez (31) and Daniel Sturridge (21) in 2013/14.
Salah v Liverpool forwards 2016/17
| Goals | Assists | Combined | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salah* | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| Coutinho | 13 | 7 | 20 |
| Mane | 13 | 5 | 18 |
| Firmino | 11 | 7 | 18 |
| Origi | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Sturridge | 3 | 1 | 4 |
*for Roma
Arsenal have deployed their versatile midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain at both right and left wing-back so far this season, and he may be part of the plan to keep Salah quiet when they travel north.
But he could also form a key part of their own attacking armoury.
He played the opening-day Premier League victory over Leicester City at left wing-back but switched to the right against Stoke City last weekend. So he could either be Salah's direct opponent, or offer Arsenal's attacking thrust from the opposite side of the pitch.
Oxlade-Chamberlain leads the way for most dribbles in the Premier League after two Matchweeks, ahead of three fellow English players, plus Riyad Mahrez. This will make him a key weapon on Sunday.
Most dribbles 2017/18 Premier League
| Player | Dribbles | Successful |
|---|---|---|
| Oxlade-Chamberlain | 17 | 15 |
| Loftus-Cheek | 14 | 8 |
| Rashford | 13 | 7 |
| Mahrez | 12 | 4 |
| Kane | 12 | 3 |
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s combined contributions for goals and assists has yet to hit double figures in any of the seven seasons he has played in the Premier League, but what better place to start than Anfield in beginning to build his tally for 2017/18?