Anfield Daily — 31 October 2026

Sunday at Anfield brings the champions, and Iraola used his pre-match press conference to frame the contest around Liverpool's defending from dead balls.

The numbers back him up: no Premier League set-piece goal conceded this season, only one in any competition, and he credited Ronald Araújo as a major reason for the improvement.

Arsenal, he accepted, are the biggest test of that record yet, which is a fair reading given how much of Mikel Arteta's threat arrives from corners and free kicks.

The historical backdrop is kind to Liverpool — Arsenal have not won a league game at Anfield in 13 attempts, and Arteta has been reaching back to George Graham's 1989 side for inspiration.

Alisson Becker is on the matchday programme cover for the return to Premier League action, and the stats pack notes Ryan Gravenberch's milestone among 16 numbers worth knowing before kick-off.

The team news is trending the right way for Liverpool. Alisson Becker's situation has been described as a boost, and both Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz could be involved on Sunday after their spells out.

That matters against a side who punish disorganisation, because Szoboszlai's running and Munoz's directness give Iraola options he has been short of.

Arsenal are not arriving empty-handed, though: Arteta confirmed Rice, Calafiori and Tzolis have all returned to training, even if the wider picture at the Emirates still carries complications.

Friday's session at the AXA was captured in photos and an Inside Training episode, with the squad clearly working towards this one specific game.

The predicted XI for Sunday makes for interesting reading, with as many as seven alterations from the midweek shape and a couple of genuine fifty-fifty decisions for the head coach.

Most of that uncertainty sits in the forward line and the full-back areas, where freshness against Arsenal's press will matter as much as quality. The fixture history offers reassurance: Liverpool's best home wins in this fixture are a long and enjoyable list, and the crowd will expect another entry on Sunday.

Gravenberch reaching a milestone adds a nice thread to the afternoon, and the November 1 streak the club's stats pack flags is the sort of quirk supporters will happily cling to.

Alexis Mac Allister has spoken once more about his future, having made no secret of his disappointment at not being offered a new deal during the summer, and the noise around a U-turn is not going away.

He also made a title promise after Jamie Carragher talked up Liverpool's chances, which is a bolder stance than the fixture list strictly justifies at this stage.

Away from the first team, Bayern Munich are reported to be preparing a January push for Rio Ngumoha, with Gianluca Di Marzio named as the source, and that contract conversation is the one worth watching most closely.

The rest of the rumour mill is thin on names, with talk of a £50m deal, a £100m deal and a €9m clause doing the rounds without much substance attached.