Liverpool forward Diogo Jota believes Arsenal will have extra motivation ahead of Sunday's FA Cup third-round encounter - as the Portugal striker reveals his 'surprise' surrounding Gunners' form.
The 27-year-old is also under no illusions that despite a downturn in form from Mikel Arteta's side, the threat of Arsenal is greater than ever.
The Reds travel to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (4:30pm kick-off) as they begin their quest to reclaim the historic trophy. Liverpool won the competition in 2022 as they picked the accolade in their domestic double but failed to defend the honour, following the 2-1 exit away at Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023.
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Liverpool and Arsenal meet for a second time in just a matter of weeks after sharing the points at Anfield - which saw the Gunners top the Premier League table at Christmas.
Jurgen Klopp's side have since picked up back-to-back wins over Burnley and Newcastle United to move four points clear at the summit, while the North London club slipped to fourth after suffering successive defeats.
"I think no-one really expected [Arsenal to drop points] but games in December come really quick, fast, and they are Premier League games, so it is always hard," Jota said speaking to the official Liverpool website.
"I think they have that extra advantage of trying to make things right and they lost their last game at home, so they don't want to do it again for sure.
"We know that's going to be psychologically an advantage for them, but it will still be a football game and like I said, we are able to go
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