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Unai Emery admits he has 'big decision' over first choice Arsenal goalkeeper

Unai Emery says he faces a "big decision" on whether to pick Bernd Leno or Petr Cech against Crystal Palace on Sunday
Image: Unai Emery says he faces a "big decision" on whether to pick Bernd Leno or Petr Cech against Crystal Palace on Sunday

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has admitted he has a "big decision" on whether to play Bernd Leno or Petr Cech against Crystal Palace.

Emery's side travel to Selhurst Park on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, and Cech's return to fitness has caused a selection headache.

Cech started the campaign as Emery's first-choice despite the club spending a fee believed to be in the region of £22.5m to bring in Leno from Bayer Leverkusen.

The German has performed strongly in Cech's recent absence, and has been widely commended for his ability to play out from defence.

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"For Sunday Petr Cech is okay and we must decide whether to play him in the first XI or not," Emery said.

"We have very big confidence in all the goalkeepers and I am happy with the way they work with the coaches.

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"It's a big decision but it's also a positive one because they are both (capable of) a good performance.

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"Now we are very happy with Leno and before Petr Cech had the injury he was also giving very good performances."

Arsenal enter the fixture on a strong run, having won their last 11 consecutive games in all competitions, and have not tasted defeat since August 18.

Unai Emery issues instructions during Arsenal's game with Leicester
Image: Emery admits he is not surprised his side have gone on a winning run

"I'm not surprised (to win 11 games in a row) because I believe in this team," Emery added.

"But I know it isn't easy to win each match.

"We need continue thinking only about the next match. Crystal Palace away was a very difficult match in Arsenal's history but we are going to prepare for the best performance for us."

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