Mikel Arteta has ended a remarkable 37-year Arsenal streak with his team selection for Saturday's crunch Premier League fixture against Bournemouth.
The Gunners have the opportunity to re-establish a five-point cushion over Manchester City in the title race with a positive result against the Cherries, who are fighting for survival at the other end of the table.
After thrashing Everton 4-0 in midweek, Arteta has decided to shuffle his pack against Gary O'Neill's side by making three changes. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey and Fabio Vieira all come into the team, with Ben White, Jorginho and Granit Xhaka all making way.
And according to a pre-match statistic shared by Opta, Xhaka's absence means that Arsenal have named a team which does not feature a player who made a competitive appearance under legendary boss Arsene Wenger for the first time in 37 years.
Xhaka was signed from Borussia Monchengladbach by Wenger back in 2016 and has clocked up over 280 appearances for the club over the past six-and-a-half years. But the Swiss international has been handed a watching brief by Arteta for Saturday's match, with Vieira playing alongside Partey and Gunners captain Martin Odegaard in midfield.
Arsenal will be eager to respond after Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win over Newcastle in Saturday afternoon's early kick-off to close the gap at the top of the table.
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And confidence should be sky-high after they fired four goals past Everton on Wednesday night. Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka opened the scoring against the Toffees and has spearheaded the Gunners' unlikely title charge this term.
Odegaard has tipped Saka to fire again when they lock horns with another of the Premier League's strugglers in Bournemouth - but Norwegian international also admitted that victory will be anything but straightforward, with the Cherries currently fighting to retain their top-flight status.
Speaking in Saturday's programme before the match, Odegaard said: "He's [Saka] producing so much for the team right now - goals and assists - he's always dangerous so it was another great moment from him. In fact we talk a lot together about producing these 'magic moments' as a team. When the match is really tight or the opposition make things tough for you.
"Sometimes you need a magic moment to win the game or change it, and he is certainly someone who comes up with them. It's great to have him there for us. And we might need another magic moment today against Bournemouth, because like Everton they are fighting for every single point near the bottom of the table."
