Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is facing the best kind of selection dilemmas in defence and attack for Sunday's mouthwatering Premier League opener with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Gunners put Athletic Bilbao to the sword 3-0in their final pre-season friendly, where Viktor Gyokeres set his side on their way to Emirates Cup glory with a fine opening header.
Ruben Amorim's former Sporting Lisbon protege is in direct competition with Kai Havertz for the number nine position, a quandary made even more difficult for Arteta after the latter's brilliant run and finish last weekend.
However, as the German has been dealing with a slight niggle after his long-term hamstring problem, and Arsenal and Gyokeres are now adapting to one another, the Scandinavian will most likely line up from the first whistle.
Gyokeres will form part of an unchanged attacking triumvirate with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, forcing Noni Madueke to wait his turn again, while Martin Zubimendi anchors the midfield after his man-of-the-match display in the Emirates Cup.
The Spaniard links arms with captain Martin Odegaard and left eight Declan Rice in the engine room, while William Saliba and the fit-again Gabriel Magalhaes reprise their formidable partnership ahead of David Raya.
Arteta has four men competing for two full-back spots, though, as Ben White and Jurrien Timber vie for the right-back berth, while Riccardo Calafiori is challenging Myles Lewis-Skelly for a start on the left.
There is every chance that White will be making his overlapping runs at Old Trafford, but Calafiori may just lose out to the perpetually fearless Lewis-Skelly.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli
> Click here to see how Man United could line up for this game
ID:579384:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3031:
No Data Analysis info