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  • EPL: Preview, team news of Arsenal vs Man Utd

    EPL: Preview, team news of Arsenal vs Man Utd

    Ruben Amorim faces his biggest challenge as Manchester United manager on Wednesday when the Red Devils take on Arsenal at the Emirates.

    The Gunners have been in exceptional form since the November international break, winning their last three matches with a combined score of 13-3. 

    Mikel Arteta’s team comfortably beat Nottingham Forest before netting five goals in back-to-back victories over Sporting CP and West Ham.

    United, under Amorim, remain unbeaten, but the Portuguese coach’s tenure at Old Trafford is still in its early stages.

    Arsenal Team News

    Arsenal have a few injury concerns: Gabriel was taken off at halftime in the last game due to an head injury, and Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey also missed the game due to injury.

    Thomas Partey could come back into the team against United. While Merino is expected to miss the game.

    Gabriel is also expected to be okay to start.

    Man Utd Team News

    Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo are suspended for the trip to the Emirates after picking up their fifth bookings of the season against Everton on Sunday.

    United’s injury woes are easing and Amorim has confirmed that Leny Yoro is in contention to earn his first minutes of the season on Wednesday. Yoro has missed the entirety of his debut campaign thus far after breaking his foot in pre-season.

    Arsenal vs Man Utd H2H Results (Last Five Games)

    Arsenal: 4 wins

    Man Utd: 1 wins

    Draws: 0

    Kick-off Time: 9:15pm Nigerian time

    Location: London, England

    Stadium: Emirates Stadium

  • EPL: Saka stars as Arsenal beat Forest to end winless run

    EPL: Saka stars as Arsenal beat Forest to end winless run

    Arsenal got their title challenge back on track by beating Nottingham Forest to secure a first win in five Premier League matches.

    The Gunners’ form has dipped in recent weeks amid a tough fixture schedule and a number of injuries, which meant Mikel Arteta’s side were nine points behind leaders Liverpool before kick-off on Saturday.

    Arsenal dominated from the outset at Emirates Stadium and Bukayo Saka gave them the lead after 15 minutes, when he exchanged passes with Martin Odegaard before beating two defenders and slamming a strike into the top corner.

    Thomas Partey, who came on as a half-time substitute, doubled the hosts’ lead when he curled in from 20 yards, before youngster Ethan Nwaneri added a third late on to secure the win.

    Read Also: Chelsea  secure draw as Arsenal title bid suffers fresh blow

    Forest have been the surprise package of the season so far and came into this match with the same number of points (19) as the Gunners. However, they struggled to get into the game and their best chances were tame headers from Ryan Yates and Nicolas Dominguez.

    Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber thought he had put the hosts in front when he tapped in from close range before Saka’s opener, but Mikel Merino was offside in the build-up.

    This match was Arteta’s 250th in charge of Arsenal in all competitions – and he will hope victory sparks a run of form that will help his side close the gap on their rivals at the top.

    BBC

  • Chelsea  secure draw as Arsenal title bid suffers fresh blow

    Chelsea  secure draw as Arsenal title bid suffers fresh blow

    Pedro Neto dealt a fresh blow to spluttering Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge as the Chelsea winger’s superb strike rescued a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s London derby.

    Mikel Arteta’s side had taken the lead through Gabriel Martinelli’s second-half goal at Stamford Bridge.

    But Neto’s equaliser 10 minutes later earned Chelsea a deserved point and left the Gunners without a win in their last four league games.

    Neto’s first Premier League goal since his move from Wolves in August kept third-placed Chelsea above fourth-placed Arsenal on goal difference.

    Both teams are nine points behind leaders Liverpool, but while Chelsea will be encouraged by their position after exceeding expectations in Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge, Arsenal head into the international break assailed by questions about their malaise.

    Beaten 1-0 by Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, hot on the heels of last weekend’s loss at Newcastle, Arsenal have won just three of their last nine league games.

    Chasing a first title since 2004 after finishing second to Manchester City in each of the past two seasons, Arsenal lack the fluency that carried them so close to the trophy last term.

    The north Londoners’ only wins in their last seven matches in all competitions came against Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe and second-tier Preston in the League Cup.

    Maresca has repeatedly claimed he does not believe Chelsea are ready to challenge for the title, but the Italian has laid impressive foundations since arriving at the underachieving club in the close season.

    Although they were unable to secure a first home win against Chelsea for six years, Maresca’s young team appear to be heading in the right direction at last.

    Cole Palmer, the jewel in Maresca’s crown, quickly forced David Raya into action with a 25-yard drive that the Arsenal keeper tipped over.

    Astutely dropping deep to take possession in midfield, Palmer led several Chelsea counter-attacks that had Arteta fretting on the touchline as Malo Gusto’s shot was blocked and Noni Madueke’s header looped wide.

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    Gusto should have put Chelsea ahead midway through the first half when Neto teased Ben White with some nimble footwork before whipping in a pin-point cross that the defender somehow headed over from close range.

    Chelsea had imposed their will on Arsenal with a tenacious display featuring some bruising challenges.

    But their propensity for overplaying from their own goal kicks nearly proved fatal when Levi Colwill’s sloppy pass led to Martinelli forcing a good stop from Robert Sanchez.

    Martin Odegaard started his first Arsenal game since August 31 after returning from an ankle injury as a late substitute against Inter in midweek.

    Odegaard seemed to have laid on Arsenal’s opener when his quick free-kick found Kai Havertz, who slotted past Sanchez in the 32nd  minute.

    But Havertz’s celebrations were curtailed by a VAR check that showed the former Chelsea striker was offside by the narrowest of margins.

    Despite that narrow escape, Chelsea had enjoyed a strong spell and they went close to earning a tangible reward when Wesley Fofana volleyed just over from Madueke’s cross early in the second half.

    Arsenal kept plugging away and snatched the lead on the hour.

    Surrounded by defenders on the edge of the Chelsea area, Odegaard cleverly worked just enough space to clip a sublime pass to the unmarked Martinelli and the Brazilian’s close-range strike beat Sanchez too easily at his near post.

    It was exactly the sort of magical moment that Arsenal had so sorely missed in Odegaard’s absence.

    Suitably inspired by his captain, Jurrien Timber almost doubled Arsenal’s lead with a buccaneering run that end with a low drive that whistled just wide.

    But Arsenal’s lead was short-lived as Maresca’s tactical switch paid dividends in the 70th  minute.

    Moving Neto from the left to the right flank allowed the Portugal winger to cut inside for a blistering low strike that arrowed into the bottom corner from 25 yards and left Arteta holding his head in frustration.

  • Things to know ahead Chelsea, Arsenal clash

    Things to know ahead Chelsea, Arsenal clash

    The biggest game in the Premier League today takes us to the Stamford Bridge where Chelsea takes on stern rivals Arsenal.

    Here are a few things to know ahead of the game.

    1. Chelsea have won just one of their last nine Premier League games against Arsenal (D2 L6), a 2-0 away win in August 2021.

    2. Arsenal have won three of their last four Premier League away games against Chelsea (D1), as many as they had in their previous 20 visits to Stamford Bridge (D7 L10).

    3. Arsenal have won their last six Premier League London derby matches by an aggregate score of 22-3. They’ve won three of these six games by 5+ goals, having won just one of their first 295 such games by such a margin.

    4. Chelsea have conceded at least once in each of their last six Premier League home games, last having a longer such run between December 2015 and August 2016 (13). With five of those games coming in 2024-25, it’s their longest run without a home clean sheet from the start of a league campaign since 2011-12 (6).

    5. Arsenal have lost 2-0 to Bournemouth and 1-0 to Newcastle in their last two Premier League away games. They last lost three in a row on the road in December 2021, while they last did so without scoring in August 1994.

    Injuries and Suspensions for Chelsea

    1. Cole Palmer – Knee Injury

    2. J. Sancho – Illness

    3. O. Kellyman

    Injuries and Suspensions Arsenal

    Read Also: Arteta vows to rejig Arsenal after troubled spell

    1. D. Rice – Foot Injury

    2. T. Tomiyasu – Knee Injury

    3. R. Calafiori – Knee Injury

    4. K. Tierney – Hamstring

    5. K. Havertz – Head Injury

    Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1):

    Sánchez | Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella | Lavia, Caicedo (c) | Madueke, Palmer, Neto | Jackson

    Substitutes from: Jorgensen, Badiashile, Tosin, Veiga, James, Enzo, Mudryk, João Félix, Nkunku

    Arsenal starting XI:

    Raya | White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz

    Substitutes from: Neto, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus

    Date and Time:

    Sunday, November 10, 2024; 16.30 GMT; 11:30am EST; 10pm IST, 5:30pm NGA

    Venue: Stamford Bridge

    Referee:

    Michael Oliver (on pitch); Paul Tierney (VAR)

    How To Watch:

    On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); USA, Telemundo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); SuperSport Premier League, Canal+ (NGA); elsewhere

    Streaming: Sky Go (UK), NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Disney+ Hotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)

    Head to Head Overall

    Total Matches        Chelsea W        Arsenal W          Draws

             76                         26                     28                  22

    Total Goals         Chelsea   Arsenal

       211                   106          105

  • TITANIC LONDON DERBY: Stanford  Bridge to quake as Chelsea host Arsenal

    TITANIC LONDON DERBY: Stanford  Bridge to quake as Chelsea host Arsenal

    The Premier League game week 11 undercard leads up to the main event at Stamford Bridge  tomorrow’s  afternoon, when Chelsea and Arsenal tussle in a titanic London derby.

    Enzo Maresca’s side are keeping the Gunners out of the Champions League places by virtue of a superior goal difference, and it was the hosts who coincidentally flexed their attacking muscles in midweek.

    Squaring up a team founded five years after their maiden Champions League victory in 2012, Chelsea subjected Armenian minnows FC Noah to the rudest of rude awakenings on Thursday evening, hitting them for an extraordinary eight goals in the English capital.

    Read Also:  Mid-term scorecard: More knocks than kudos for Gusau-led NFF 

    One of six teams in the Conference League to have won each of their opening three games, Chelsea’s astonishing 8-0 triumph on November 7 unsurprisingly leaves them sitting pretty at the summit on goal difference as they chase the continental crown that has consistently eluded their upcoming visitors.

    From rude awakenings to Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Blues needed a touch of Ecuadorian inspiration to avoid losing to the Dutchman’s Manchester United side at Old Trafford last weekend, where a Bruno Fernandes penalty came just four minutes before Moises Caicedo’s exquisite volley.

    One of three teams boasting 18 points from a potential 30 – alongside Arsenal and Aston Villa – the fourth-placed Blues could end the weekend in the top three if they better Nottingham Forest’s result against Newcastle United, and Maresca’s men now have an eight-game unbeaten home run to protect in all tournaments.

    However, the Blues are still yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet at Stamford Bridge this season – going six without one since shutting out West Ham United in May – but Arsenal have hardly pulled up trees on the attacking front in the early period of November.

    Whether it was St James’ Park or San Siro, the outcome was the same for Arsenal; a 1-0 defeat with little to no offensive inspiration. After succumbing to a brilliant Alexander Isak header versus Newcastle United, it was a controversial Hakan Calhanoglu penalty that made the difference on Wednesday evening.

    In some ways, Arsenal’s loss to Inter Milan could be described as a game of noughts and crosses; Mikel Arteta’s men attempted an astounding 46 crosses at San Siro, but all of them were for nought, as they slumped to their first continental loss of the 2024-25 campaign.

    Also reeling from the shock resignation of much-admired sporting director Edu, the Halloween period has indeed been one big horror show for Arteta and co, as a three-game winless run in the Premier League has the Gunners fifth in the table and seven points below leaders Liverpool.

    However, not since the 1994-95 season – when most of Arsenal’s players were not even born – have the Gunners lost three straight Premier League away games without scoring, and capital clashes are where they excel, as they have won their last six London derbies by an aggregate score of 22-3.

    That sequence includes a 5-0 dismantling of Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea in the second half of last season, albeit after they were held to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

  • Arteta vows to rejig Arsenal after troubled spell

    Arteta vows to rejig Arsenal after troubled spell

    Mikel Arteta expects Arsenal to bounce back from their nightmare spell in  tomorrow’s crucial clash with Chelsea after sensing his players’ hunger during a team meeting this week.

    Arteta’s side are without a victory in their last three Premier League games and have won just three of their last eight in the competition.

    Beaten 1-0 by Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, hot on the heels of last weekend’s loss at Newcastle, the north Londoners are desperate to end their slump in this weekend’s London derby at Stamford Bridge.

    Arsenal were expected to challenge for the title after finishing second to Manchester City in each of the past two seasons.

    Read Also: Libyan ordeal: Legends highlight lessons for NFF, Nigerian clubs

    Arteta is confident his side will rise to the challenge of turning their season around.

     “Obviously when you don’t win it affects the mood and the energy. The positive is there is nobody inside or outside of this building who wants to win more than I do,” he told reporters. “Today (Friday)  I had a meeting with them about it and I can sense it straight away.

     “They are paying attention, they are hungry, they want to work. Their desire is unbelievable. They are a joy to work with.”

    Chelsea are currently one spot above the fifth-placed Gunners, who trail leaders Liverpool by seven points.

    Arsenal’s only wins in their last six matches in all competitions came against Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe and second-tier Preston in the League Cup.

  • EPL: Isak scores as Arsenal drop points at Newcastle

    EPL: Isak scores as Arsenal drop points at Newcastle

    Alexander Isak scored the only goal as Arsenal dropped points in the Premier League against Newcastle at St James’ Park.

    The Swede’s 12th-minute header came after the Gunners failed to clear their lines and Anthony Gordon sent a sumptuous ball into the area.

    Arsenal had started the game well but once Isak found the net they struggled to get a handle on proceedings and lacked creativity in the final third.

    Read Also: EPL: Bournemouth end Arsenal unbeaten start after 2-0 defeat

    Mikel Arteta made changes in the second half to try to break down Newcastle’s resolute defence but his side registered just one shot on target across the 90 minutes.

    Victory for the Magpies moves them up to eighth in the league while Arsenal are third and will find themselves eight points adrift of Manchester City in top spot should Pep Guardiola’s side beat Bournemouth later on Saturday.

    BBC

  • Arsenal’s Arteta wary of intense battle with Newcastle

    Arsenal’s Arteta wary of intense battle with Newcastle

    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was looking forward to  today’s Premier League match at Newcastle United but stressed he had moved on from the off-field controversies that marred previous meetings between the sides.

    Arteta found himself in hot water after two of his last four league matches against Newcastle, beginning with a goalless draw in the 2022-23 season after which he was criticised for his behaviour on the touchline.

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    The Spaniard was then charged with misconduct last term after slamming the match officials following a controversial goal in a 1-0 defeat by Eddie Howe’s side.

    “On the touchline, I haven’t got to the point I go into meditating mode. Maybe I should. When they change the rules about certain behaviours we need to adapt and that’s what I’ve tried to do,” Arteta told reporters. “I don’t want to miss any games. I can’t promise that if we score a goal I won’t jump up and down on the touchline. So far it has worked.”

  • BIG GAMES: Emirates Stadium quakes as Arsenal host Liverpool

    BIG GAMES: Emirates Stadium quakes as Arsenal host Liverpool

    Game week nine of the 2024-25 Premier League season concludes with a tussle of titanic proportions at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow, when title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool butt heads.

    Both English behemoths were unconvincing winners in their midweek Champions League affairs, as the Gunners edged out Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 before the Reds conquered RB Leipzig by the same scoreline.

    Prior to last weekend’s trip to the South Coast, Arsenal fans had to go back to New Year’s Eve 2023 for the last time that their side were bested in a Premier League away fixture, but more alarming indiscipline from Mikel Arteta’s men cost them dear against Bournemouth.

    William Saliba’s first-half sending-off did not mean that the tie was a foregone conclusion – Arsenal had held out for draws against Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City with 10 – but a well-worked Ryan Christie goal from a corner and Justin Kluivert’s penalty ended the Gunners’ wonderful 12-game unbeaten road run in the Premier League.

    Not only that, defeat at the Vitality Stadium was Arsenal’s first in half a year, a statistic that a bullish Arteta emphasised in his press conference as his side missed the opportunity to spend Saturday evening top of the rankings; they go into the weekend third and four points adrift of the leading visitors.

    A Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka-less side lacked ingenuity once again when Shakhtar came to visit in the Champions League, where only an unfortunate own goal from Dmytro Riznyk got Arteta’s men over the line, but that one-goal triumph does mean that the hosts are on a five-game winning streak at the Emirates.

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    All in all, nine of Arsenal’s last 10 competitive matches at their North London home have ended in victory, but Gooners may travel in trepidation rather than optimism; Arsenal have won just 45% of their Premier League games without the banned Saliba compared to 74% with him in the team.

    A Liverpool side with no such disciplinary concerns to worry about head to the Emirates with an Arne Slot spring in their step, as the Dutchman continues to send Merseyside records tumbling since stepping into the mammoth shoes of Jurgen Klopp.

    The Reds passed one of the toughest challenges of their title credentials yet on October 20, when Chelsea rocked up to Anfield and gave Liverpool a terrific run for their money, but Mohamed Salah’s penalty and Curtis Jones’s toe-poke kept the Reds at the summit after Manchester City’s dramatic beating of Wolverhampton Wanderers just hours before.

    While Liverpool are one point better off than the holders at the time of writing, they will drop to second by the time Sunday’s game kicks off if City get the better of lowly Southampton on Saturday, and their victory in Leipzig on Wednesday did not come without several scares.

    However, Die Roten Bullen’s own wastefulness and offensive naivety also helped the Reds make it eight victories in a row across all competitions, and Slot has astonishingly won each of his first six away games in charge of Liverpool, seeing his team ship a paltry two goals in the process.

    Success tomorrow  would move Liverpool onto 24 points from their first nine games of the new term – only once before have the Reds managed as many points at this stage of a Premier League campaign, taking 25 from nine in their triumphant 2019-20 year.

    Liverpool’s powers in this fixture have waned over the past couple of terms, though – Arsenal have prevailed in their last two top-flight games at the Emirates and are unbeaten in four against the Reds in the Premier League, although they did come up short in January’s FA Cup third-round tie on home soil.

  • EPL: Bournemouth end Arsenal unbeaten start after 2-0 defeat

    EPL: Bournemouth end Arsenal unbeaten start after 2-0 defeat

    Bournemouth on Saturday ended 10-man Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season after William Saliba was shown the first red card of his career at Vitality Stadium.

    France international Saliba was dismissed inside the opening half an hour, having tripped Evanilson close to the centre circle after being put under unnecessary pressure by Leandro Trossard’s poor pass.

    It was a situation from which the title-chasing Gunners had already salvaged potentially crucial points against both Manchester City and Brighton, although this time the challenge was to do so for more than 60 minutes.

    Their stubborn resistance was finally broken when Ryan Christie fired brilliantly in to the top corner following a clever corner routine with 20 minutes remaining, substitute Justin Kluivert flicking on Lewis Cook’s low pass into the penalty area.

    Kluivert then put any hope of a recovery beyond Arsenal by confidently converting his penalty nine minutes later, after club record £40m summer signing Evanilson was brought down by Raya.

    Read Also: EPL: Everton beat Ipswich 2-0 in delayed kickoff

    Victory ended a dismal run in this fixture for the Cherries, who had lost the last four league meetings by an aggregate score of 13-2, and moved them up to 10th in the table.

    But this was a significant blow for Arsenal, who missed the opportunity to go top before leaders Liverpool host Chelsea tomorrow at 16:30 BST, after champions Manchester City visit Wolves (14:00).

    BBC Sports