One week later than originally scheduled, Liverpool prepare to welcome Arsenal to Anfield for the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Thursday evening.
The heavyweight clash was postponed last week due to a COVID-19 cluster in the Reds' camp, although all but one case - Trent Alexander-Arnold's - ended up being false positives.
With no Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah available to Jurgen Klopp this week, Diogo Jota will shoulder the goalscoring burden, and the Portuguese has a penchant for strikes against the Gunners.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at Jota's record against Arsenal ahead of the Anfield contest.
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Only against Leicester City has Jota scored more goals against than Arsenal, with the 25-year-old enjoying his first taste of success against the North London club during his stint with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 2018-19 season saw Jota score his side's third in a resounding 3-1 win at Molineux, but that strike was his only one for Wolves against Arsenal before his switch to Merseyside, with a pair of blanks following in the 2019-20 campaign.
Taking after the other star-studded attackers at Klopp's disposal, Jota rounded off the scoring in a 3-1 Anfield win for Liverpool over the Gunners in September 2020, with the Reds coming from behind to win after Alexandre Lacazette's opener on the Portuguese's debut.
Only three days later, Jota once again made the starting lineup for the visit of Arsenal in the EFL Cup, but the Gunners ultimately prevailed on penalties after a goalless stalemate.
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However, the goals would soon come flying in for Jota against Mikel Arteta's side, as the former Wolves man came off the bench to score a brace in a 3-0 Emirates victory in April 2021.
Amid Roberto Firmino's injury woes, Jota spearheaded the attack for the visit of Arsenal at Anfield earlier this season, and once the Gunners' resilience was eventually broken, the Portuguese netted the second of his side's four goals.
In total, Jota boasts five goals from eight appearances against Arsenal across all competitions, including an impressive four from his four appearances with Liverpool in this fixture.
The attacker will be under more pressure to deliver the goods with Salah and Mane both absent this week, but a similarly ruthless display is sure to help Liverpool put one foot in the final.
Ben Knapton
