Liverpool will host Arsenal in their Premier League clash at Anfield this afternoon and manager Jurgen Klopp will be keen to prove that his team are still capable of competing with the very best in front of the home support.
The Reds have had a tumultuous season, but their impeccable record against the current league leaders speaks for itself as Arsenal have failed to take a victory away from Anfield since 2012, which Klopp will be hoping extends when the final whistle is blown later today.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta's side will be heading to Merseyside with an important mission to keep the gap as wide as possible with their title challengers Manchester City, however, a victory for Liverpool will be absolutely vital to their outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League as they are currently 13 points adrift of the top four.
The Liverpool boss made a number of changes to his team against Chelsea earlier this week, with key players like Mohammed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson all missing from the starting eleven, however, it is incredibly unlikely that Klopp will be so heavy in the rotation as his most experienced players will be his most valuable assets against the Gunners.
As a result, there is no doubt that Robertson must be unleashed in the starting eleven as Kostas Tsimikas proved he was not up to scratch during his display at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
Will Robertson start vs Arsenal?
The Scotland captain has played an important role in Liverpool's successes over the years and will surely be one of the first names on the teamsheet when it comes to challenging an incredibly on-form Arsenal side.
His positional peer, Tsimikas was dubbed "absolutely useless" for his performance against Chelsea by journalist Carl Kinsella after he lost possession of the ball 17 times, committed three fouls, lost five duels, whilst he was also dribbled past once before being hooked by Klopp in the 66th minute.
Despite the team's troubles this season, the £31m-rated unsung hero – once hailed "unbelievable" by Gary Neville – has delivered six assists and created eight big chances from his left-back position, as well as averaging 69.5 touches, 1.6 key passes and 40.3 accurate passes per game, proving that he is a huge presence in the side's attacking threat.
Not only that, Robertson has a fantastic record when facing today's opponents, with one goal scored and two assists over 16 meetings, taking points from ten of those clashes with six victories and four draws, so it is unfathomable that the Scotsman doesn't start this afternoon.
With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Klopp to bring back some of his most relied-upon starters when the North London club pay a visit to Anfield later, as there will be no room for error if they are to have any hope of a chance at Champions League qualification at the end of the season.