David Raya to make landmark appearance and Arsenal may break record with goalkeeper

If finding a way through Arsenal’s watertight back four wasn’t hard enough, they then have to beat David Raya.

It is a task even the most formidable of attacking units across Europe have struggled to do, but especially in the Premier League.

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In fact, since Raya made his Premier League debut for Brentford – coincidentally against Arsenal in August 2021 – no Premier League goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets.

The Spaniard has a staggering 58 Premier League clean sheets to his name and will be looking to increase that tally to 59 when the Gunners welcome Brighton to the Emirates Stadium on December 27.

Arsenal’s clash against the Seagulls will also mark Raya’s 150th appearance in all competitions for the club, should he start.

Luckily for Raya, who first arrived at Arsenal on loan in August 2023 before being made permanent the following summer, he has been blessed with a ready-made, iron-clad centre-back pairing in front of him.

Since the 2022/23 campaign when they lined up together for the first time, William Saliba and Gabriel have formed one of the Premier League’s most formidable defensive partnerships.

The pair have featured alongside one another on 129 occasions.

Of those 129 games, Gabriel and Saliba have tasted defeat 21 times, excluding penalty shootouts.

That number drops to just 12 in Premier League action, only one of which has occurred this season when they slipped to a 1-0 defeat away to Liverpool.

Unfortunately for Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, he has not been able to field his first-choice centre-back pairing since a 2-2 draw away to Sunderland on November 8 due to Saliba and Gabriel sustaining injuries.

The result marked the first time Arsenal had conceded twice in a Premier League match in which Saliba and Gabriel played together since November 30 last year when the Gunners romped to a 5-2 win over West Ham.

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However, the draw did little to take away from a remarkable stat that proves Raya, to this point, has been the least busy goalkeeper in Premier League history.

According to Opta’s stats, Arsenal have conceded an average of 2.18 shots on target per game, which so far represents an all-time Premier League low.

To make what is already a startlingly-low figure all the more impressive, the number has risen thanks to recent matches against Chelsea and Aston Villa, where they allowed four and six shots on target respectively.

Arsenal did not have Saliba and Gabriel together at centre-back for those matches.

Against Chelsea, Arsenal lined up with summer arrivals Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera at the heart of defence, with Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber providing support at left and right-back respectively.

And two games later against Villa, the back four was changed again as Hincapie had Timber alongside him at centre-back as Ben White came in at right-back while Calafiori retained his position on the left.

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Arsenal won neither of those games, registering a 1-1 draw against a ten-man Chelsea and succumbing to a 2-1 loss to Villa thanks to Emi Buendia’s sensational winner with the last kick of the game.

But in a major boost for Arteta’s side, Saliba has lasted the full 90 minutes in Arsenal’s last three matches.

In those games, Arsenal have conceded a total of four shots on target, underlining Saliba’s importance to the back line.

As for Gabriel, who sustained a muscle injury while on international duty with Brazil in November, he has returned to individual training and could make his long-awaited return in January.

With Arsenal only two points ahead at the Premier League summit ahead of the crunch festive period, the return of Gabriel alongside Saliba can’t come soon enough for Arteta.