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Arsenal play their final fixture before an unprecedented three-week international break when they visit the south coast to take on Brighton this weekend.
The Gunners will be looking to keep their 100% record going, having won their first seven matches across all competitions. However, this will certainly be a challenging test for Mikel Arteta's men, with Brighton producing some of the most impressive underlying metrics in the Premier League so far this term.
The Seagulls will look to possess the ball for long periods, before quickly counter-pressing when they lose it. This is a tactical set-up the North Londoners have rarely faced in recent times, and thus, Arteta will need to field the types of players who are well-suited to negating this style.
Based on this, here are three players who must start against Brighton, and two who must be kept on the sidelines.
3 unbenchable players for Arsenal against Brighton
Bruno Guimaraes
After spending several weeks fighting a niggle, Bruno Guimaraes finally made his first start (barring the Community Shield) for Arsenal on Tuesday, and he was absolutely magnificent.
Running the game from the middle of the park, the Brazilian was at the heart of Arsenal's possession game, while he also led the Gunners' press excellently. The name of the game will be different at Brighton than it was at Portman Road, but Guimaraes' contributions will be just as important nevertheless.
Arsenal need someone who is exceptional at evading the opposition's press, which will prevent Brighton from hogging possession for the full 90 minutes. Guimaraes is one of the most press-resistant midfielders in the Premier League, making his specific skill set incredibly important for this clash.
Riccardo Calafiori
Riccardo Calafiori was given the full night off on Tuesday, but he simply has to return to the starting eleven at the Amex, and he almost certainly will.
Like Guimaraes, the Italian is exceptional at keeping hold of the ball when under pressure. Meanwhile, his adventurous hikes into the opposition's final third will be crucial for the Gunners when they look to exploit the space Brighton leave when they pour men forward.
Piero Hincapie may not be fit anyway, but even if he were, Calafiori would be the right pick at left-back.
Kai Havertz
Like Calafiori, Kai Havertz didn't play a minute in East Anglia in midweek. The German should therefore be well rested and raring to go on Saturday afternoon in Sussex.
That said, the necessity of his inclusion stems more from the bleakness of his alternative than his own individual quality. Viktor Gyokeres is in dire form, and simply cannot be trusted to start against physically dominant centre-halves in Lewis Dunk and Luka Vuskovic
2 players who must drop to the bench for Arsenal against Brighton
Viktor Gyokeres
It may seem like everyone is piling on Viktor Gyokeres at this point, but the extent to which he looked completely unusable on Tuesday was alarming. His USP is supposed to be his ability to get on the end of moves and score goals, yet across his two starts so far this season, he's managed just one shot.
Many may argue that this simply means his teammates aren't creating for him, but several around him found it easy to get into good goal-scoring positions in these matches. Perhaps his movement just hasn't been good enough, and given he's not bringing anything else to the table, there is no real reason to reinstate him to the Premier League starting eleven against his former club.
Max Dowman
Everyone is waxing lyrical about Max Dowman at the moment, and so they should. He's absolutely fantastic, and continues to show just why there is so much hype around him every time he steps on the pitch.
That said, there is no reason to rush him into a league starting eleven just yet. He's learning his trade gradually on the side, developing physically and tactically, and doesn't need the bright lights of the English top flight just yet.
There'll no doubt be some minor disgruntlement from sections of the Arsenal fanbase when he's inevitably left on the bench on Saturday, but this will ultimately be the correct decision from Arteta.
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