Mikel Arteta has the luxury of making wholesale changes to the Arsenal starting lineup, even with an injury crisis brewing.

Mikel Arteta could make as many as eight changes to the Arsenal starting lineup this weekend. On Sunday afternoon, the Gunners will lock horns with Liverpool at Anfield as they look to lay down another marker in the early stages of the Premier League title race.

Arsenal suffered the biggest upset in recent English football history on Tuesday night, crashing out of the Carabao Cup fourth round to Fleetwood Town, so they'll be determined to return to winning ways. The following evening, Andoni Iraola's side clambered past Chelsea, securing a place in the quarter-finals.

Although the Gunners have a lot of travelling to do, returning from Blackpool before heading back up to Merseyside, they'll have an extra 24 hours of rest over their opposition. Speaking to reporters this week, Arteta apologised to the away faithful and claimed he'll try to make it up to them against Liverpool.

"We need to take it now on the chin," said the Spaniard. "We are out of the competition, we’re very sad for all the people as well here who came to watch the game - I wanted to give them the victory. Now we need to recover and get ready for Anfield."

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Arteta added: "They are always with us. That’s unquestionable, after the game they showed their appreciation to the team, and we’ll try to make them very happy against Liverpool."

So, with that being said, football.london has selected the Arsenal starting lineup to face Liverpool.

Raya one of four changes to Arsenal defence

Illan Meslier wasn't entirely at fault for the defeat to Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup fourth round, unlike Kepa Arrizabalaga in last season's final against Manchester City, but again, the gulf in quality was clear to see on Tuesday night. Unless there's an injury or suspension, David Raya should remain between the sticks for the foreseeable future, regardless of the competition or opposition.

When Arteta keeps injury news brief or close to his chest, he's usually bluffing, but to leave Riccardo Calafiori out in the dark for so long doesn't look great on paper. So, in addition to the customary changes to the backline, Piero Hincapie could keep his place at left-back.

Business resumes in midfield

Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly should resume duties in the middle of the park, assuming the former is fit, of course. Otherwise, Bruno Guimaraes should join the Hale End graduate in the double pivot, having only played 10 minutes or so on Tuesday night; he's a hardened professional, so the penalty miss won't impact his performance under the lights at Anfield.

Gyokeres returns to the bench

Although Kai Havertz has had a slow start to the season, he usually relishes the big occasion, and a marquee fixture could be exactly what he needs to reignite his flame. Viktor Gyokeres has done okay recently, but his colleague offers far more, even when he's off the pace.

Havertz will lead the press, stretch the backline, hold the ball up, and link play. Under Iraola, Liverpool still press incredibly high up the pitch, so Arteta will need someone who can at least fend off Virgil van Dijk and make the ball stick under pressure or produce a clever flick to open up the game.

As for the wide options, Noni Madueke will probably recover just in time. If he is actually injured, Mikel Merino could push either Havertz or Gyokeres out to the right wing, with Eberechi Eze on the left.

Arteta makes EIGHT changes

All in all, Arteta could make as many as eight changes. Unless a few big names suddenly recover from injury, there could be a couple more! Generally, it feels like the Spaniard will need to push some square pegs in round holes, which doesn't exactly bode well.

But, so long as Arteta can throw together a strong backline, a solid double pivot, and some hard-working wingers, Arsenal will always stand a chance of winning, even when up against the most expensive frontline in the Premier League...

Predicted Arsenal starting lineup to face Liverpool: David Raya; Piero Hincapie, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ezri Konsa, Ben White; Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke; Kai Havertz.