Unai Emery, the Arsenal head coach, must overcome his good friend Javi Gracia if Arsenal are to maintain their grip on a top-four place.

The Watford manager was the first person that Emery called last summer when the possibility of taking over from Arsene Wenger first became a possibility.

The pair were team-mates at Real Sociedad during their playing careers, and the two sets of coaching teams have gone out for dinner together this season.

“When the possibility opened to sign here, the first coach, the first person in the football world I called was him,” Emery said of Gracia.

“I asked some questions about the football here, the clubs, Arsenal, and he recommended to me that I come here.”

Watford train next door to Arsenal’s London Colney headquarters and the proximity of the two teams has helped Emery and Gracia maintain their friendship this season.

“For example we had dinner, their coaches and our coaches, one day in St Albans in September," Emery said. "We spoke about football here, English football and their experience because they were here six months before us. It was a good conversation about football because Javi Gracia is also a football man.