Arsenal begin a testing run of fixtures by hosting arch rivals Tottenham, who are unbeaten away from home in the league. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's 198th north London derby.
The Gunners' 10-match winning streak ended with a 2-2 draw at Sunderland but they are still in a commanding position â top of the Premier League and boasting a perfect record in the Champions League.
But this is the start of a tough week for Mikel Arteta's side, with the derby followed by Wednesday's home game against Bayern Munich â arguably Europe's most in-form team â before another match versus London opposition, away to Chelsea.
They will have to negotiate this period without key centre-back Gabriel, who is likely to be out for at least a month after being injured playing for Brazil against Senegal at Emirates Stadium last weekend.
Arsenal have previously suffered when the first-choice partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba has been disrupted, but they invested in quality cover this summer. Cristhian Mosquera, Spain Under-21s captain, arrived from Valencia, while Ecuador international Piero Hincapie joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen.
Even so, Gabriel's absence is significant. Arsenal have won 64% of the Premier League games he has played in since arriving five years ago, compared to 40% without him.
He is also a potent set-piece threat, scoring 11 goals in the past two years â including the only goal in last season's win at Spurs.