Arsenal could earn a fresh slice of English football history when they face Everton in Saturday lunchtime's Premier League clash at Goodison Park.
The Gunners have already accumulated 50 points from 19 games in the 2022-23 season, marking their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign.
The remarkable form of Mikel Arteta's side has allowed them to open up a five-point gap over reigning champions Manchester City - who have played a game more - at the top of the table.
With Pep Guardiola's men not in action until Sunday afternoon's meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal could temporarily go eight points clear at the summit with victory over Everton.
The Gunners and the Toffees have been top-flight ever-presents for over 70 years now, and as such, meetings between the two sides have been commonplace over the past several decades.
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From their 202 previous league meetings with Everton, Arsenal have posted 99 wins, while also drawing 43 and losing 60 of their other contests against the Merseyside giants.
Should Arteta's men win at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime, they will become the first team in English football history to win 100 league games against a specific opponent.
The Premier League leaders will undoubtedly enter the weekend as the favourites to get the job done and hit that milestone, with Everton languishing in 19th and 35 points worse off than the Gunners.
Sean Dyche will take charge of Everton for the first time this weekend following the sacking of Frank Lampard, who oversaw a 5-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates on the final day of the 2021-22 season.
However, Goodison Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal, who have suffered defeat in both of their most recent two Premier League trips to Everton's turf.
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The Gunners fell to a 2-1 loss at Goodison Park last season after going down by the same scoreline in 2020, but May's win over Everton ended a run of three straight losses for the Gunners in this fixture.
Arsenal have been handed a significant injury blow ahead of the trip north, though, as Arteta has revealed that Emile Smith Rowe will miss out with a thigh problem - joining Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny on the sidelines.
Reiss Nelson has returned to training from a thigh issue, but Thomas Partey also remains a doubt after coming off with a rib injury in last week's FA Cup defeat to Manchester City, which could see Jorginho make his debut alongside Granit Xhaka in the middle.
The former Chelsea man scored the winner for the Blues when they beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park back in August, scoring a late first-half penalty in a contest that was marred by injuries.
Ben Knapton
