Crystal Palace vs Arsenal – Premier League LIVE: Mikel Arteta’s Gunners travel to Selhurst Park as they look to maintain their winning start to the season

Follow Mail Sport’s live blog as Arsenal travel to Crystal Palace seeking their second win of the season.

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‘It’s not a gamble, it’s a necessity’ – Mikel Arteta defends David Raya signing

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has defended the club’s decision to sign David Raya, initially on loan from Brentford with a view to a permanent move.

There has been criticism of Arsenal’s decision to pit Raya against Aaron Ramsdale for the number one spot at the Emirates.

Arteta has claimed having two top keepers is a necessity.

Raya is on the bench for Arsenal for the first time this evening following his move.

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Both sets of players have been warming up as the sun sets at Selhurst Park.

Just under 20 minutes to go until kick-off in Crystal Palace’s first home match of the season.

Arsenal have suffered defeats in all four of the away matches on a Monday under Mikel Arteta.

This included a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace in 2022.

However, Arsenal boasted the best away record in the Premier League last season.

Bukayo Saka is set to equal an Arsenal club record after being named in the starting eleven this evening.

Saka will draw level with Paul Merson in playing 82 consecutive Premier League games.

Merson achieved the feat by playing his consecutive run of games between February 1995 and February 1997.

‘I could not have imagined it, it is a nice record and I am really proud to break these records for this special club and be in the same company as these legends,’ Saka told Sky Sports.

Speaking of Eberechi Eze, Roy Hodgson has spoken of the midfielder’s high potential in the build-up to tonight’s fixture.

‘We like him very much, we think he has got very, very good potential be even better than he is today,’ Hodgson told Sky Sports.

‘He needs to remember that he can’t win matches of his own back for us. That will not always be possible.

‘We don’t have Olise who he combines with very well. We are looking forward to that partnership coming back very soon.

‘Tonight he has to do a good job for the team and do the things we know he can do. If we are lucky and he is having one of his golden days, he is more than capable of winning the game for us.’

Crystal Palace are unchanged from their opening day win over Sheffield United.

Edouard leads the line, while Eze will looking to carry much of the creative burden during the match.

Monday night XI ✅@shophumm 📲

Just the one change from Arsenal from their win over Nottingham Forest.

It is an enforced one with Takehiro Tomiyasu coming in for the injured Jurrien Timber.

David Raya is on the bench for the first time, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is back among the substitutes following an injury.

🟡 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔵

One change from last time out – Tomiyasu replaces Timber

COME ON YOU GUNNERS! pic.twitter.com/mQsaIRSaPX

‘I am not sure how front footed we will be if we do not have the ball,’ Hodgson jokes when asked about whether Crystal Palace will continue with a front foot approach against Arsenal.

‘When we have got the ball we believe in our attacking strength and the quality of players we have.

‘We believe in the style of player we want to show. But the calibre of opponents you face varies from week to week.

‘Some weeks it will be easier to show off your attacking skills than others.

‘We know that tonight will be a tough one in that respect.

‘Arsenal will really want to run Man City close again and to do that they really need to be winning matches like Crystal Palace away, but if we want to do well we have to show we can deal with the threat that they pose.’

Roy Hodgson has just been speaking to Sky Sports about Olise’s decision to snub Chelsea to remain at Crystal Palace.

‘Michael was a really important person at the end of last season in the really good spell we had,’ Hodgson said.

‘He had Eze struck up a really good partnership. Of course it would have been a massive blow if you start the season and a massive person in that jigsaw has disappeared.

‘We are really delighted in the end that he decided to choose Crystal Palace over the potential move to Chelsea.

‘It is nice to know that we can also offer players something that they consider to be worth having.’

Crystal Palace boosted by holding off Chelsea to keep star winger Michael Olise at the club

Crystal Palace fans received the welcome news that Michael Olise signed a new four year contract last week.

It had appeared Chelsea were set to seal the talented young winger’s signature, but Olise shocked many by putting pen to paper with the south London side.

His decision forward Wilfried Zaha to Galatasaray on a free earlier this summer.

Mail Sport takes a look at the boost to Palace here

Mikel Arteta calls on Arsenal to ‘impose themselves’ and ‘send out a message’ to their title rivals

Manager Mikel Arteta believes his side changed the external view of what they could achieve after winning at Selhurst Park on the opening day of last season.

The Gunners won 2-0 as they began the campaign with nine victories from their first 10 league games, a far cry from the previous year when they crashed to defeat at Brentford.

‘Yes, and it helps the confidence of the team when we go into games like this and impose yourself and send out that message,’ he said. ‘I’m more worried about the message we send to ourselves than any external one. But I think it was an important one. You have to go to these grounds and impose yourself and it’s very difficult to do that.

‘We had some experiences before at Brentford on that. It’s going to be different on Monday. They are extremely well organised, they don’t concede too much and it’s going to be a tough test for us.’

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Welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog coverage of the Premier League’s match between Crstal Palace and Arsenal.

We’ll be bringing you pre-match build up, coverage and reaction to the game – so get your dinner on the go and settle in.

Arsenal will be hoping to send a message out about their title prospects by negotiating a tricky Monday evening fixture away at Selhurst Park.

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