Arsenal have opened up a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League rankings on their return from the FIFA international break.
A tight 1-0 win at Fulham extended Mikel Arteta’s winning run to five games across all competitions as Liverpool lost 2-1 at home to arch rivals Manchester United – in a fourth successive defeat for Arne Slot.
On the back of securing three points at Craven Cottage, Arsenal’s attention now shifts to the UEFA Champions League, and a crunch tie with Atletico Madrid.
The Gunners have won their opening two UCL games of the campaign, against Athletic Club and Olympiakos, but a trip to Madrid is their biggest European test so far.
Arteta has not flagged any fresh injury concerns and Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice should start in midfield with captain Martin Odegaard ruled out.
Arsenal completed a £55m [$74m] transfer deal to sign Arteta’s Basque compatriot over the summer as Zubmendi arrived as part of a squad refit.
The 26-year-old has featured in all eight of Arsenal’s EPL game so far, with seven starts and two goals, plus 90 minutes completed in the two UCL games.
The Spain international has seamlessly added calm and steel to Arsenal’s midfield following the departure of Thomas Partey in June.
Arteta admits ‘surprise’ over Zubimendi’s start at Arsenal
Arteta called for patience on Viktor Gyokeres slow start in North London but named Zubimendi’s adaptation as the most impressive.
“Zubi has to make his own way, and he’s doing that. Since he arrived, his impact on the team has been exceptional, and that’s very difficult,” Arteta told an interview with Marca.
“I’ve seen many midfielders join the Premier League from top positions in other leagues, and they’ve struggled, it’s taken a year or two to settle. The speed and naturalness with which he’s adapting is surprising.”
Alongside his consistency in minutes played in his debut campaign, Zubimendi’s deeper numbers also catch the eye, leading Arsenal’s stats for completed live passes [475], dribblers tackled [8] and passes blocked [12] in the Premier League.