Arsenal welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates today as they look to tighten their grip on top spot in the Premier League.
The Gunners reclaimed top spot with a hard-fought win over Fulham last week – but could be without defender Gabriel Magalhaes against Palace.
With Liverpool slipping up again – with a fourth defeat on the bounce against Manchester United – Manchester City are now Arsenal’s closest competition with a point separating the two.
Mikel Arteta will remain without Martin Odegaard, who is recovering from a knee injury that forced him off in the win over West Ham.
It was the third time the Norway international has been forced off the first-half this season with that latest issue the most severe.
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Odegaard is likely to be unavailable until after the November international break at the earliest.
Noni Madueke is looking at a similar timeline as a result of the medial knee ligament injury he suffered against Manchester City last week. The Gunners take on arch-rivals Tottenham on 23 November.
Kai Havertz meanwhile is edging closer to his return after knee surgery but Piero Hincapie is available again after shaking off a groin problem.
In Odegaard’s absence, Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze have emerged as Arteta’s first-choice midfield three.
Up top, Viktor Gyokeres will be hoping to score after netting twice in the Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
The Sweden international has registered three goals across eight Premier League games so far this term.
In defence, there are question marks over Gabriel after Arteta revealed on Friday: ‘Big Gabi had to leave the pitch [against Atletico Madrid] with an issue and he hasn’t been able to train yet, so let’s see how he evolves in the next 24 hours to see whether he’s available or not for the weekend.’
Arsenal XI to face Crystal Palace – Metro prediction
Arteta could very well name the starting XI that beat Fulham at Craven Cottage last Saturday – if Gabriel is deemed fit enough to start. If Gabriel is not fit enough to start, he’s likely to be replaced by Cristhian Mosquera.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace TV channel and kick-off time
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace kicks off at 4:30pm on Sunday 26 October.
You can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event with streaming also available through the Sky Go app and NOW TV for subscribers.
You can also follow all the action with Metro’s LIVE blog.