We only need nine points from our remaining six matches to secure fourth place ahead of Villa and Everton, and should Everton fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday that becomes eight points from six games

How demoralising was Saturday’s result? This could be the most painful ending to a season for a while. We’ve reached two semi finals by drawing Plymouth, Cardiff, Burnley, Hull, Roma and Villarreal, but we’ve bottled it as soon as we’re up against a team who’ve done it all before, and I can’t see too far beyond the same thing happening in the Champions League. However, I want us to destroy Liverpool. Really, really hard. Beyond recognition. I want them to fold as a club because the beating we administer is so severe that there’s no point continuing as a footballing entity. They injured Cesc for four months, their manager never shuts up, their players are overrated, their owners are like fighting schoolchildren, they were gifted an entirely undeserved route to the Champions League semi final last season by a god-awful referee, and the last time we tasted victory over them was over two years ago. They’ve won six on the bounce in the league and we’ve won five, someone’s run will come to an end on Tuesday.

Hopefully we can keep our eighteen game unbeaten run. We only need nine points from our remaining six matches to secure fourth place ahead of Villa and Everton, and should Everton fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday that becomes eight points from six games. Chelsea have got a few difficult games coming up and we should be looking to catch them up if at all possible. Their next four games are Everton at home, West Ham away, Fulham at home and Arsenal away, with games against Barcelona either side of the Fulham game. Our next four aren’t any easier, but if we’re going to finish any higher than we are now it’s over this period of games where we’re going to need to press. Hopefully the FA Cup loss won’t have the same effect as our exit to a major rival last year, which knocked our confidence and started a run of four draws and a loss in the league. Liverpool have the chance to give us a good kicking while we’re down.

In all competitions against Liverpool, home and away under Arsene, we’ve won eleven, drawn eight and lost ten. In battles between Wenger and Benitez, we’ve won five, drawn four and lost four. We failed to beat Liverpool in four attempts last season, including the most painful loss in recent memory. Anfield has probably been our least favourite trip under Wenger, we’ve only won there twice in the league, losing six and drawing three of our eleven attempts. Our last league victory there came five and a half years ago in a 2-1 victory in October 2003. We won our first Premier League game at Anfield in 1992, but up until Arsene arrived we lost three out of four. We most recently tasted victory there at the start of 2007 with two cup victories and nine goals scored.

Team News

Seeing as Arshavin and Song were rested in an FA Cup semi final ahead of this fixture, you’d expect them to start on Tuesday. I really, really hope it was worth it, Arsene. Nasri will probably start on the left. We might not have any choice in terms of back five selection. Gallas is out for the season, Almunia and Djourou are probably a week or two away from a return, and Clichy reportedly has a stress fracture of a vertebrae in his spine, which I don’t see him returning from properly this season. Sagna may not have recovered sufficiently from his virus to be fit enough to start but he will at least be in the squad. Van Persie is ruled out with a groin problem, and Adebayor is to be rested due to a tight hamstring. Perhaps Bendtner and Eduardo might get a chance up front, or Arshavin could play behind Bendtner with Nasri and Theo on the wings.

Subs: Mannone, Sagna, Ramsey, Diaby, Denilson, Walcott, Vela.

Liverpool

A bonus for us is that Steven Gerrard misses this game with a groin problem. Other than that they’re at full strength, and given that the league is all they have left to play for they’ll have a first choice team out and be desperate to win.