The English Premier League will be back tonight and Arsenal will be hosted by Crystal Palace at the Selhurst Park Stadium as the first game kicks off at 22:00 hours EAT. Arsenal are aware that facing Crystal Palace might be a daunting place to start given that they suffered a 3-0 loss in Selhurst Park last season. Arteta will therefore need a strong defense to curb the threat posed by the likes of Wilfred Zaha. Therefore, Mikel Arteta has decided to start center-back William Saliba for their opening Premier League game against Crystal Palace. Should Saliba start on Friday, August 5, it will be his first official appearance for the Gunners. The defender had an excellent pre-season and could now be rewarded with a place in the team to face Crystal Palace. The Gunners signed the defender back in 2019 but sent him on three separate loan spells away from the Emirates Stadium. He, however, has been very impressive on all his loan spells earning the trust of his manager Mikel Arteta. 

William Saliba will surely add great strength and depth to Arsenal's defense ahead of the 2022-23 season. The center-back is still young and has the potential to become a key defender at the Emirates Stadium for many years to come. It is not clear, however, who Mikel Arteta will drop if he decides to start Saliba in the game against Crystal Palace. Arsenal have looked great in pre-season ahead of their new campaign. They will therefore be looking forward to carrying on their preseason form into the season. They have made some spectacular signings in Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Fabio Vieira amongst others. 

Arsenal played seven pre-season games in the summer, winning six and losing one against Brentford. The game, however, was played behind closed doors. Arsenal secured a convincing 6-0 win over Sevilla in their final pre-season game with new signing Gabriel Jesus netting a hat-trick. The Brazilian forward has scored seven goals in pre-season and already looks settled in his new surroundings at the Emirates Stadium.