Liverpool will look to keep the good feelings going as they host Sunderland at Anfield today, on December 3rd. The Black Cats have been the surprise of the EPL this season as the newly promoted side sits 6th on the table with 22 points, just ahead of Liverpool at 21.
Facts & Figures
It's been a while since the squads met on the pitch. The last match was in 2017, and it ended 2-2. In fact, the Reds are unbeaten in their last ten meetings with the Black Cats. Another good sign for Liverpool is that they have lost just once in their last 50 EPL matches played in December, home or away. Joe Gomez is just one appearance short of 250 for the Club, and Arne Slot is on victory shy of 50 wins as boss in all competitions.
What Does Slot Say?
Arne Slot has great respect for what the Black Cats have accomplished this season, and he expressed those sentiments at his pre-match press conference.
“Yeah, a big compliment for their manager because they brought in a lot of new players and they started off so well,” he said. “I saw the game Chelsea against Arsenal on our way back home [from West Ham]. It was a very high-standard game, two teams that were fighting each other and working so hard [with] all the players on the pitch. Then I was aware of the fact that Sunderland was the team that beat Chelsea in their stadium and had a draw against Arsenal. You can look at the league table by looking at how good they have done until now, but after that game, knowing that Sunderland is a team that beat Chelsea and had a draw against Arsenal tells you how strong they must be.”
Salah Update
Mohamed Salah has been called to International Duty by Egypt for the African Cup of Nations. He will leave Liverpool on December 13 after the Brighton match and not return until the Champions League match on January 21. It will be interesting to see how the Reds play without the Egyptian King.
LFC Globe Verdict
If you had told me before the season that Sunderland would be above Liverpool on the table, I would have called you crazy. But here we are. The Black Cats have garnered a result in 10 of 13 EPL matches. But their road goal output is low. Liverpool needs to bang one in early because if they let the Black Cats hang around, they could prove dangerous.
Where To Watch
Kickoff is set for 20:15 from Anfield and can be seen on Sky Sports. In the USA, the match will stream at 3:15 pm on Peacock.