Arsenal host Hull City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday looking to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners go into the weekend three points clear of Manchester City after winning eight of their opening nine matches.
Mikel Arteta’s side are on a two-game winning run following their 2-1 victory away to Slavia Praha in midweek. Noni Madueke opened the scoring in that match before Viktor Gyökeres added a second, with the team showing resilience to secure the three points. They also beat Liverpool 1-0 last weekend thanks to a Kai Havertz goal, their third consecutive clean sheet in the league.
Arteta is expected to have a strong squad available for the visit of Hull. The manager made several changes for the European fixture, with players like Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhães rested and likely to return to the starting lineup. There are no new injury concerns reported following the trip to Prague.
Hull City, managed by former Arsenal midfielder Liam Rosenior, sit 11th in the table. They have taken 12 points from their first nine games and will be looking to disrupt the league leaders’ rhythm. The Tigers have lost only one of their last five matches across all competitions.
A victory would see Arsenal move six points ahead of Manchester City, at least temporarily, before City play later in the weekend. The Gunners have been formidable at home this season, scoring 14 goals and conceding just five in the league. Havertz, with three goals, is the team’s top scorer so far.
Arsenal’s next match after this is a trip to face Aston Villa. The team’s current form of three wins and two draws from their last five games provides a solid platform for the busy schedule ahead. Arteta will want his players to start quickly against Hull and control the game from the outset.
