To end their longest ever winless run against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, Arsenal will need Granit Xhaka to get the better of Dele Alli, writes Sky Sports' Marc Harrington.
Xhaka has started all 11 matches for the Gunners this season and returns from the international break having helped Switzerland qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals.
After a stop-start beginning to his Arsenal career, Xhaka has now established himself in Arsene Wenger's side.
His run of consecutive PL starts stretches to 24 including last season, and this term he has provided the joint-most assists and made the most touches and passes of any Arsenal player.
Xhaka in Premier League 2017/18
| Total | Club rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 11 | 1= |
| Assists | 3 | 1= |
| Touches | 1,081 | 1 |
| Passes | 914 | 1 |
| Distance per match | 11.4km | 1 |
Even though he has improved his performances over the past few months, Xhaka has yet to score for the Gunners this season.
This is despite not being afraid to shoot – no player has had more shots from outside the area in 2017/18 than his 20 (level with Spurs striker Harry Kane).
One player who does know how to find the back of the net on a regular basis is Alli, who will be hopeful of returning from a minor hamstring injury on Saturday.
The 21-year-old made a low-key start to the season but after scoring twice against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League he now has four goals in his last four appearances in all competitions.
And encouragingly for Spurs fans, the stats show he has contributed slightly more than in his first 10 PL matches of last season, which he ended with 18 goals.
Alli 2016/17 v 2017/18
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches | 10 | 10 |
| Goals | 3 | 3 |
| Assists | 0 | 1 |
| Chances created | 18 | 19 |
| Pass accuracy | 82% | 79% |
Alli has also had more touches in his PL matches this season than at the same stage of 2016/17, and it was around this time a year ago that he started to show the form that led to him winning the PFA Young Player of the Year for the second successive season.
Only time will tell whether Alli reaches those heights again but Saturday's battle against Xhaka will be a big test of his improving form.