A brace from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka's penalty gave the Gunners another comprehensive victory to continue their perfect start in the Champions League

Mikel Merino shines as a striker as Max Dowman makes history - North Londoners have still not conceded a goal in Europe this term

The Gunners have run rampant so far this season, topping the standings in the Premier League and Champions League while still competing for the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Like most clubs of a certain stature, Arsenal also boast quite a few internationals on their roster, stretching the demand of their players even further.

For all of Arsenal's progress under Arteta, tangible success has been limited since that 2020 FA Cup triumph. This season, with expectations sky-high and a fanbase hungry for silverware, the Carabao Cup represents an achievable, meaningful target. There is every reason for Arteta to throw some of the big chips in for this competition.

Arsenal are ploughing on with their mission to tie down their better players to longer contracts, with Bukayo Saka one of three players set to jump in their list of highest earners.

Arsenal (6-1-1) will try to defeat Crystal Palace (3-4-1) at Emirates Stadium in London, England on Sunday. Arsenal are priced at -182 and the Eagles are at +150. The over/under is set at 3. The expected starting goalkeepers are David Raya for Arsenal and Dean Henderson for Crystal Palace.

When Arsenal signed Declan Rice for £100m in the summer of 2023, it sent shockwaves through the game, but it may have actually been a worthy investment after all. The former West Ham captain was always highly-rated, but even still, the nine-figure sum was seen as a hefty price by some.

Our under-18s' tricky run of form continued when they were beaten 6-2 by Aston Villa at the Sobha Reality Training Centre on Saturday, November 1. We twice found the net in the second half through goals from Marley Frohock and Ceadach O'Neill, but they came as a consolation in a game that had already got away from us.