Having failed to win in Europe and in the Premier League last week, this upcoming week will prove season-defining for both Liverpool and Arsenal, writes Kamogelo Motecwane.
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The second week of April was not ideal for either the Reds or the Gunners on the continent and domestically. The north Londoners were only able to come away of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich with a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium, but while this was not ideal, it gives them a fighting chance to progress in the return leg in Munich on Wednesday evening.
Jurgen Klopp's charges, on the other hand, have given themselves an almighty task in their UEFA Europa League campaign after their 3-0 home loss to Atalanta last Thursday. The Merseysiders have a tremendous pedigree in European competition, though, so if there is an outfit that could turn such a deficit around, it would definitely be them.
If things were already bad for them, however, they got even worse on Sunday as they suffered yet another defeat at home, this time to Crystal Palace. The 1-0 loss marked the first time the club had lost back-to-back home games in all competitions since 2021, and dented their league aspirations significantly as they failed to return to the summit. Arsenal also failed to capitalise on Liverpool's hiccup as they, too, lost at home, to Aston Villa. The 2-0 defeat ensured that Manchester City finished the weekend at the top of the pile and in the ascendancy for the run-in.
This week will therefore be vital for both Klopp and Mikel Arteta because it will show whether or not they truly are contenders, or merely pretenders. First, each side will have to navigate their respective European ties in unfavourable conditions. Arsenal's Spanish manager captained the club's last, and only, win at the Allianz Arena, during the 2012/13 season, and will be looking to achieve the same result on Wednesday night.
His German counterpart, however, will be looking to win by the same sort of scoreline he did when he last travelled to Bergamo. The previous time Liverpool played at the Gewiss Stadium, they won 5-0, and given how expansive that La Dea play, there is every possibility that scoreline comes to fruition provided the Reds are more clinical in front of goal, a trait they have lacked over the past few weeks.
Both English sides will then return to the Premier League, where Arsenal will face Wolverhampton Wanderers away and the 19-time English champions will have to travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.
Winning the next two games for both sides will shed light on their ability to respond to adversity at the most pressurised time, the true hallmark of would-be champions. Given that both teams have been in this position over the past two seasons, Liverpool in 2021/22 and Arsenal in 2022/23, and succumbed to City, this season presents a new opportunity to right those wrongs.
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It all, however, starts in Europe, and while their league fate may no longer be in their own hands, they still need to have a near-perfect finish to their respective campaigns if they want to have any hope of pipping the Citizens to the Premier League title.
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