Diogo Jota can be Liverpool’s saviour
With Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah missing due to their involvement in the AFCON, the duties of Liverpool’s attack rest on Diogo Jota. Let’s have a look at Diogo Jota’s record against the Gunners ahead of Thursday’s matchup.
Liverpool finally host Arsenal on Thursday for the first leg of the EFL Cup semifinals. The original fixture was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak in Liverpool’s camp. Later it was revealed by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp that most of the Covid cases were “false positives”.
The only positive case in the Liverpool squad was the star right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Even though Trent Alexander-Arnold is back in training, Jurgen Kloop has mentioned that striker Divock Origi will be missing. This means Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino will be spearheading the attack against Arsenal. Firmino has been out for a considerable amount of time, hence putting the responsibilities on Jota’s shoulder.
Lucky for them as Jota knows a thing or two about scoring against Arsenal.
Diogo Jota: Liverpool’s weapon against Arsenal?
Only against Leicester City, has Diogo Jota scored more goals than he has scored against Arsenal.
His scoring spree started in 2018-19 when he was dawning Wolverhampton Wanderer’s jersey. He scored his first goal against the Gunners in a 3-1 win at Molineaux.
His second came on his Liverpool debut when he helped Liverpool come from the back to beat Arsenal 3-1.
Then in April 2021, once against Diogo Jota was the difference maker as he came off the bench against the Gunners to score a brace in a 3-0 victory.
In his last eight appearances against Arsenal, the 25-year-old has scored five times. This includes four in four games in a Liverpool jersey.
Diogo Jota can prove to be a shining light in the absence of the talismanic Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah.
With Divock Origi out, who can we see play with Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota up top? Will we see someone like Alex Oxlade Chamberlain play upfront? Or do you think Takumi Minamino? Or will it be one of the young guns Kaide Gordon or Curtis Jones?
