Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend with a tricky trip to Liverpool on Saturday evening (5.30pm kick-off).

Arsene Wenger’s men beat struggling Hull City 2-0 in their last league outing on February 11, and have since then been thumped 5-1 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, as well as easing past non-league Sutton United to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

However, they turn their attentions back to the league and to the race for a top four finish this term, with Liverpool one side desperately looking to get into the Champions League once again.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are currently fifth in the table and a point behind Arsenal having played a game more, but they have won just one of their seven Premier League matches in 2017, and were comfortably beaten 3-1 by champions Leicester on Monday night.

Thus, Wenger’s Gunners should be reasonably confident of securing a 16th victory of the campaign at Anfield on Saturday, which would certainly give them a cushion over the Reds going into the run in.

Nonetheless, the Arsenal boss may make a few changes ahead of the trip to Anfield, so here are THREE players who deserve a chance against Liverpool on Saturday…

Granit Xhaka

Midfielder Granit Xhaka is available for selection for a Premier League game after serving his four-match suspension for his red card against Burnley last month.

And the Swiss international should go straight back into the starting eleven as Wenger looks for consistency in the defensive midfield area.

Xhaka has started 15 league games this term following his summer move from Borussia Monchengladbach, but his disciplinary his been a major problem, as he’s picked up two red cards already this season.

Nonetheless, the 24-year-old is clearly a very talented player who has on occasion performed impressively in the Gunners midfield, and should be given a starting berth at Anfield on Saturday.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came off the bench in place of the injured Mohamed Elneny to help Arsenal ease past Sutton United in the FA Cup, and could be pushing for a starting place at Anfield.

The England international has been used in the centre of midfield in recent weeks due to the suspension to Xhaka and Elneny’s participation at the African Cup of Nations, and he’s done reasonably well in that area, and certainly outplayed Francis Coquelin against both Chelsea and Hull.

Whether Wenger decides to play him there again remains to be seen, but the Liverpool backline have shown deficiencies defending against pace this term, so playing the 23-year-old in a more advanced role, perhaps down the right against James Milner, could be hugely beneficial to the Gunners.

Lucas Perez

It seems to be that whenever Lucas Perez starts for Arsenal, he has a positive impact on proceedings, which begs the question, why hasn’t he started more often?

The Spaniard, who signed from Deportivo La Coruna last summer, struggled to force his way into the side in the early phase of the campaign due to Alexis Sanchez’s stunning form, and has thus made just two Premier League starts for the Gunners this season.

However, the 28-year-old was impressive against Sutton last week and indeed laid on assists in their victories over Preston and Southampton earlier in the FA Cup, as well as netting a hat-trick on his only Champions League start this term away at Basel in December.

Clearly, Perez makes a contribution more often than not from the start, so he should be in line for a start against Liverpool on Saturday.