Arsenal vs Hull City: 3 key battles as Gunners finally return home

After playing 11 of their first 15 matches away from the Emirates this season, Arsenal's fixture schedule is set to get a bit kinder regarding this imbalance, starting with the visit of Hull City on Saturday afternoon.

Despite having to travel across the country and Europe on numerous occasions in the opening few months of the campaign, the Gunners have enjoyed an outstanding start. 13 wins in 16 matches across all competitions sees them third in the Champions League table and three points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Next up is a tactically unique test in Hull. These days, teams simply don't dominate possession in the English top flight like they used to, as the mid-tier and lower-end sides contest the ball, refusing to simply cede possession. This is reflected in the team possession stats, with all but four teams falling in the 40-60% bracket.

The outlier: Hull. The Tigers have just 33% of the ball on average. Their extreme low block and discenring lack of interest in having the ball is something of a flash from the past, and it may be more difficult for Arsenal to unlock them than many think.

With that said, here are the key battles that we believe could be pivotal in dictating the outcome of the game in N5.

With Hull's low-possession approach, it's pivotal that they have an out-ball. Someone they can aim for who can relieve pressure and get them up the pitch on the rare occasion that they look to break.

Oli McBurnie is that man for the Tigers. The Scotsman has matured since his last stint in the Premier League and is now the talismanic figurehead for the East Yorkshire outfit.

He'll drop off the Arsenal centre-backs to make himself available for passes when Hull look to get out. It'll be up to either Ezri Konsa or Gabriel Magalhaes to follow him, and given the former did this job on Harry Kane at the Allianz, he'll likely do it again on Saturday.

If Konsa succeeds in shutting McBurnie down, Hull should have no route out of their own half.

Ryan Giles is actually one of Hull's more prominent attacking players. He joins the attack from left-wing-back, providing width whilst whipping in dangerous deliveries.

Thus, Noni Madueke will have to do some defensive work in this one, tracking Giles' marauding movements up the touchline. Equally, however, this is a clear area Arsenal can exploit.

Madueke has been in electric form of late, and he certainly has the pace and guile to haunt Giles one-on-one. If he beats the defender even a few times, Hull will be in trouble.

Hull's midfield was crying out for some Premier League experience over the summer, so they signed Everton's Tim Iroegbunam. After a few weeks acclimitasing, the 23-year-old has settled in Yorkshire and has started impressing in recent weeks.

His job will be to track Martin Odegaard closely, ensuring the Arsenal playmaker can't work his magic in and around the box. If the Norwegian can evade Iroegbunam's surveillance, the Gunners should benefit from their captain's creativity on the day.