Arsenal

Mikel Arteta must make a few difficult calls when it comes to naming his Arsenal matchday squad for the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on ...

Whatever calls Arteta makes are certainly going to be tough ones as he tries to juggle with a large squad. Should this scenario come to fruition, it would leave the Arsenal manager needing to make a decision on which three remaining senior players to leave out as the likes of Cedric Soares, Rob Holding, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Marquinhos could be at risk of not making the matchday squad against Palace. Although going by the club's official website which has 27 other first-team players listed, the pair won't be alone in cheering on their teammates from afar as, in total, Arteta will have to leave as many as nine senior stars at home for the game against Palace in the scenario that no further transfers are completed between now and kick-off.

Cheick Doucoure is set to make is first Premier League start against Arsenal on Friday night. The new signing will play a key role for Crystal Palace.

He’s a highly-regarded 22-year-old midfielder who could emerge as one of the signings of the summer. Cheick Doucoure is whom the Eagles opted for after he helped Lens to an impressive seventh-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. For Vieira’s side to evolve, a more metronomic and technically proficient profile was required. For Patrick Vieira, a manager who wants his sides to be brave in possession, having Kouyate in midfield was an issue. In truth, defensive midfield has been a problem area for the Eagles since football returned from a lengthy COVID-19-induced break in 2020. Palace’s former #8 is a man-mountain and he’s incredibly tough to bypass, but he was a tough watch when the ball arrived at his feet.

With £120million worth of new talent in the squad Arsenal fans across the world are gagging to know how Mikel Arteta will line up against Crystal Palace ...

Jesus will be unleashed for the first time, and given how hot he was in pre-season, would anyone be surprised to see him break his Arsenal duck tonight? It's a little too early for summer signing Fabio Vieira to start, but we wouldn't be surprised to see either him or Emile Smith-Rowe (or both - you can make five subs now!) from the bench in the second half. Gabriel will keep his place following a strong campaign.

In today's Fiver: Amazon video sensation Mikel Arteta, Chelsea b@ntz and, yes, the Premier League is back.

A club representing the city of the Sun King; and a club where stars are stars and coaches are optional. Eddie Howe showed he can multitask by inking his name all over a long-term Newcastle deal while also warning fans that FFP will put the brakes on the club’s spending. “Big Website’s analysis of the Premier League teams’ chances this season has been interesting, but wordy. Martin Tyler has apologised after appearing to link the Hillsborough disaster with hooliganism. All a bit obvious, but at least this season we get to have a break while the top players sweat buckets in a hot place” – John Lawton. “They have been inspired by top players, top professionals, ruthless winners for many years … and now it’s their turn to do the same. I guess Sky Sports are giving teams £5bn to provide TV coverage for the same people that were watching Division One in 1992” – Graham Haslam. We’ve lined up the essentials – tin hat, Tin – and will be foregoing the not inconsiderable pleasure of George Clarke’s Remarkable Renovations on 4Seven so that we can watch Crystal Palace v Arsenal. There’s been a remarkable renovation – pick that segue out – at Arsenal. According to our chirpy and occasionally decipherable nephew #5r, they’ve already won pre-season. No wonder their fans are daring to dream that, if all goes to plan, this could finally be the year they reach the promised land of fourth place. Never mind winning – one of Arsenal’s challenges is to start drawing. The best league in the world at saying it’s the best league in the world returns to our orbit on Friday night, and The Fiver is ready. But these are upbeat times at the Emirates, even by traditional opening-weekend standards, and we wouldn’t be doing our reliably half-@rsed job if we didn’t acknowledge as much.

All the facts, stats, opposition info and quotes you need to get yourself ready for tonight's season opener in south London.

Last year at home with the support we had we had some really good matches, and it will be important to keep it that way.” Nick Bright and Adrian Clarke will be providing live analysis from our brand new studio at Emirates Stadium, while Frimmy grabs the views of our supporters from Selhurst Park. They have the squad to challenge and be closer to the title. They last had a longer unbeaten home run in the top-flight between March - August 1992, while they’ve never kept six consecutive home clean sheets in the top division. A mixture of first-team and academy players weren’t discredited in defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United, before drawing against Leeds United. The rest of their recruits seemingly look to be about building depth, with American defender Chris Richards arriving from Bayern Munich, teenager Malcolm Ebiowei plucked from cash-strapped Derby County, and former England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone snapped up on a free.

The 2022/23 season kicks off at Selhurst Park as Palace host the Gunners.

They confidently picked Crystal Palace apart and scored a brilliantly worked set piece in the first half to give them the lead. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. I’ve waited a long time to make my debut and I’m happy to start with a clean sheet and a win. Not to mention the man of the match award. A Brazilian named Gabriel did indeed open Arsenal’s Premier League account and although it may have been Martinelli who was the match-winner after finishing off a smart set-piece routine, the front line led by Jesus sparkled in this early examination of Mikel Arteta’s side. Another recent arrival - although signed three years apart - was just as key.