Thierry Henry has backed Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke to make an impact for Arsenal in Sunday's Premier League trip to Liverpool, arguing the pair have shown they are not "passengers" while Bukayo Saka and Christos Tzolis are unavailable.

Speaking to Betway, the former Arsenal forward said the burden on the two wide players is simply part of life in a deep squad, and pointed to their recent goals as proof they can deliver at Anfield.

'This is why you have a strong squad'

Henry's starting point was that Mikel Arteta accepts absences and injuries will come, and that "others will have their time".

"When they have a chance to show what they can do, they need to show it, and Eze and Madueke have been showing it," Henry said, as reported by Metro and Football.London.

Eze found the net in the 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich, while Madueke came off the bench to score the winner in the 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest. Henry stated that such contributions show the substitutes "aren't passengers" and "usually come on and change the game"; he described this as the advantage of having quality players in reserve and the explanation for why Arteta stays composed when questioned about the two not starting more regularly.

Football.London notes that both players have taken some criticism from Arsenal supporters. According to the outlet, Arsenal also sold Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli during the summer and chose not to sign an established left-wing backup or reinforce the other flank, which left Eze on the left and Madueke on the right. Madueke had a difficult first season at the club after arriving from Chelsea in 2025, according to the same report.

Arsenal's availability picture

Saka sustained a quad injury in the Bayern Munich match, while Tzolis has sat out Arsenal's last six matches and is pushing to be available again. Football.London reports that Max Dowman will also miss the trip after his red card in the Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood Town, which finished 1-1 on Tuesday.

Metro reports that Liverpool are fourth in the Premier League and have won each of their last five games in all competitions.

Henry on the Anfield test

Henry recalled last season's meeting at Anfield, where a Dominic Szoboszlai free-kick settled a 1-0 win for the hosts, and said he expects another stern examination on Sunday.

"We played a lot of games without Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, but still managed to find a way," he said. was how the point concluded.

He also played down the idea that results elsewhere place an obligation on Arsenal, saying he never viewed the table that way as a player. He noted Manchester City's 3-0 win at Anfield earlier this month, and pointed out that City did not win at Aston Villa this season while Arsenal did.

"Let's see what happens away from home against a Liverpool team who are looking a bit better, especially against Brighton," Henry added.

Photo: Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.