Benitez will copy rivals to smother Arsenal

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez plans to follow the counter-attacking blueprint set by Manchester United and Chelsea when his side take on Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

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Arsene Wenger won duel with Rafa Benitez

Arsenal's nightmare run of United, Chelsea and Liverpool in consecutive matches has gone awfully for manager Arsene Wenger so far, with the Premier League's top two stifling Arsenal's attacking verve before launching rapid sorties at the other end.

Arsenal have scored once and conceded five time in 180 minutes, so it's no wonder Benitez wants his Liverpool side to follow his rivals' lead in their bid to make it none from three for the Gunners.

Having restored Liverpool's defensive solidity - highlighted by six clean sheets in an unbeaten seven-match run - Benitez feels they are better equipped to cope with Arsenal's possession passing game as they look for the club's first Premier League victory on Gunners territory for a decade.

"If you play them at the Emirates they have more confidence and they try to go forward all the time, it is the way they play,'' Benitez said. "You cannot control the game unless you are strong in defence. You can score if you play good counter-attack - like United did the other day.

"When you are playing well and winning everything is fine. If you don't win you have to change things and you have to play as you can - sometimes ugly, sometimes nicely. If you are strong and work hard against them you will always have a chance.''

The last time the two sides met back in December Arsenal re-ignited their title bid with a 2-1 win after losing two of their three matches prior to visiting Anfield. Benitez hopes a victory, which would take them within two points of their third-placed opponents, will have the same effect on his team.

"They were in a very bad situation; they had their critics and then they won and they started going forward and winning games,'' he added. "Hopefully we can keep winning and we will see if we can talk in a different way to the start of the season.''

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes a win puts third place up for grabs.

"I'm sure Arsenal will be a bit of a wounded animal on Wednesday,'' he said. "It's a massive game for us and the target is to try to get a result where we can push on and try to get third place. Our target is a top-four finish but if Arsenal give us any sniff of catching them then we want to grab it and hopefully that will be tonight.''