Despite earning a convincing victory in the Champions League, Napoli head coach Antonio Conte is concerned with the rising injury concerns inside his squad. As the Italian team prepare for their upcoming battle against Serie A leaders Roma, the coach wants his side to take extra caution as his squad is stretched thin.

McTominay powers Conte's side to victory

After a devastating 6-2 loss to PSV and a goalless draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli returned to winning ways in the Champions League by defeating Azerbaijani heavyweights Qarabag 2-0 on Tuesday. A 65th-minute goal from last season's player of the year, Scott McTominay, and an own goal from Marko Jankovic seven minutes later, decided Napoli's fate, who rose to the 18th position on the continental table. However, fielding his best side was somewhat challenging for Conte, who had to keep two goalkeepers and two young players on the bench. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportConte bemoans mounting injury crisis

Napoli missed six important figures against Qarabag, including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Leonardo Spinazzola. While Conte expressed delight after the victory, he seemed cautious of the team's injury concerns.  

He told reporters: "Tomorrow we'll enjoy it, then we'll put the helmet back on because we have Roma on Sunday. Napoli were not dead, it's not a question of being alive or not alive, but of continuing to work always giving everything we have. Then games can be won or not, but we know that we always have to give everything. It is a moment of great difficulty for the availability of the players, we had seven players on the bench, two of whom were goalkeepers and two young players like Ambrosino and Vergara.

"We have been facing a very difficult period since the beginning of the year, we must start from the assumption that the players go on the pitch. If you don't have any, you have to find different solutions, trying to exploit almost always the same ones because then the risks increase. We are moving forward, we have played two excellent games. Let's not forget the results of Qarabag, in the Champions League there are no easy opponents, I was convinced that by bringing this pace we would direct the challenge."

Conte sheds light on Spinazzola's return

While Miguel Gutierrez succumbed to an injury a day before the Qarabag game, Conte expects Spinazzola to return on Friday. Whether he'll be available for Sunday's clash against surprise Serie A leaders Roma still remains unclear, but one of the six key individuals returning to the side will be taken as a positive by the experienced mentor. 

He said: "Many times we also judge on the basis of the results of the matches, I think since the beginning of the year we have been chasing having many unavailability. I can control some situations, but I can't manage the sprain that Gutierrez got yesterday during training. It's a shame, because then we immediately talk about a crisis without actually seeing what we are facing. The boys are exceptional, in terms of availability, everyone's responsibility has risen exponentially, because there will be many games that we have to face without being complete. We hope to have Spinazzola with us on Thursday, so we would have another option instead of the Spaniard."

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Getty Images SportNapoli's recent form over Roma a boost for squad

Defeating Roma will offer Napoli a chance to reclaim top spot in Serie A, depending on AC Milan's result against Lazio on Saturday evening. However, despite many injury concerns, Napoli have one positive to inspire them against Roma. In the last five meetings against the capital club, Napoli have lost to Roma only once, drawing two games and winning three. Conte might want his team to escalate their confidence, keeping this head-to-head record in mind. 

Ajax’s turbulent search for a new technical director has taken an interesting turn after a leaked photo revealed a secret meeting with Jordi Cruyff in Barcelona. The son of club icon Johan Cruyff spoke with Ajax chiefs Menno Geelen and Marijn Beuker as the Dutch giants accelerate plans to rebuild their collapsing football department.

• Cruyff meets Ajax top brass in Barcelona

  The race to find Ajax’s next technical director intensified this week after Geelen and Beuker were photographed holding talks with Cruyff at the Torre Melina a Gran Melia hotel in Barcelona. The meeting, initially intended to be discreet, became public when an observant Dutch resident living in Spain captured the photo of Cruyff and his manager with Ajax bosses, the image was shared by .

  Ajax more or less acknowledged that negotiations are underway. When approached, Geelen said: “It's true that we're working on important projects. We'll comment on that when there's news to report. That's not the case yet.” Cruyff also declined to go into details, insisting: “This isn't the time to say anything.”

  The secretive nature of the meeting highlights Ajax’s urgency as the delegation flew from Amsterdam early on Monday despite the club preparing for a Champions League match against Benfica the following evening. It signals that Cruyff is not only a leading candidate, but potentially the leading candidate to replace departing technical director Alex Kroes.

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• Kroes' exit and club crisis push Ajax toward a new era

  Ajax’s pursuit of Cruyff comes amid institutional chaos as Kroes, who was originally hired to stabilise the sporting department, announced earlier this month that he would step down after taking responsibility for the team’s alarming decline. Prior to this, he had been suspended following a Supervisory Board ruling that he purchased up to €190,000 worth of club shares one week before officially taking office.

  Although he later returned in a technical capacity, his decision to leave has forced Ajax to scramble for solutions. At the club’s annual stakeholders’ meeting, Geelen confirmed that recruiting a technical director takes priority over appointing a permanent manager.

  Ajax explored several options, reportedly including former sporting director Marc Overmars, but he dismissed the approach, calling his Amsterdam chapter “closed.”

  Cruyff, meanwhile, arrives with a notable resume, he previously held technical roles at AEK Larnaca, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Barca, where he assisted Xavi Hernandez during the club’s squad rebuild. Since early 2024, he has served as an advisor to the Indonesian FA. In the Dutch press however, he is now viewed as a serious contender to restore direction to a club drifting both on and off the pitch.

• The legacy weight

  Should Cruyff accept the role, he would inherit a challenge reminiscent of his father Johan's famous Velvet Revolution. In 2010, the elder Cruyff wrote that “Ajax was no longer his Ajax” and declared the situation “even worse than the period before Rinus Michels joined the club in 1965.” His intervention triggered a structural overhaul that led to seven Eredivisie titles, a Europa League final and a Champions League semi-final run.

  Ajax have since disintegrated in recent years and failed to arrest their decline this season. They brought back former player and coach John Heitinga to lead the team for a second time this season, though he was recently sacked. They are currently sixth in the Eredivisie following a shock defeat to Excelsior at the weekend and sit bottom of the Champions League with zero points, one goal scored and 14 conceded from four matches.

  Jordi would now be tasked with rescuing Ajax from a similarly bleak state. Like his father, Jordi is known to value the presence of club DNA, and many within Amsterdam believe he could help restore the familiar Ajax identity that has faded since Overmars' departure.

  Cruyff’s network also allows for modern solutions. While he respects Ajax traditions, he may not hesitate to appoint a foreign coach if required, “a Spanish coach from his network,” as Dutch reports put it, pointing to success stories such as Francesco Farioli in the Eredivisie.

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• AFP
  

  Why Ajax are moving fast?

  This week’s Barcelona meeting shows that Ajax are not willing to wait until the January window to put the club back on track. With the team tumbling down the league and European results inconsistent, the management believes the new technical director must arrive before the winter break so he can immediately initiate structural reforms.

  Cruyff is seen as someone who understands both Ajax’s traditional principles and the demands of modern football. And. the fact that Geelen and Beuker travelled personally, despite the Champions League fixture against Benfica looming, underlines that the Amsterdam giants want a resolution quickly. If Cruyff is appointed, he will oversee managerial recruitment, squad planning, youth integration and long-term strategy.

  Ajax aim to make an appointment before the winter break, and Cruyff is firmly among the frontrunners, if not the favourite. The Supervisory Board will now evaluate the Barca discussions before deciding whether to proceed to the final negotiation phase.

Manchester City fans arriving at the Etihad on Tuesday evening might well have been somewhat perplexed by the lineup that was announced.

Indeed, for the showdown with Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola would ring the changes, with a mammoth ten alterations on display from the 2-1 defeat versus Newcastle United.

Nico Gonzalez was the only player remaining in the XI from that humbling loss.

The Spaniard’s widespread tinkering did not work the way he would have wanted, whatsoever, as City ended up crashing to a second successive defeat in all competitions, with Leverkusen taking advantage of the disjointed feel to the hosts to inflict a 2-0 loss.

While Leverkusen were ultimately clinical and deserving of all three points, several of Guardiola’s reserve personnel did let him down big time against the visitors from Germany, with Savinho – in particular – putting in another poor showing down the flanks.

Savinho's poor performance in numbers

The Brazilian would have been hopeful that he could change Guardiola’s mind about who his starting attacker should be down the left wing by putting in a high-octane performance against Leverkusen, with Jeremy Doku pushing Savinho to one side with ease as of late.

Instead, however, the below-par forward remains on just one paltry goal for the season, with social media account City Chief going as far as to bash his display against Kasper Hjulmand’s men as offering “no end product” again.

The numbers don’t lie in this regard, too, with Savinho coming off the pitch at the end of a frustrating 90 minutes with just one shot attempted at the Leverkusen goal.

Moreover, despite successfully completing four successful dribbles from nine attempts, as per Sofascore, all of the South American’s trickery and flair on the night ultimately went to waste, with just one accurate cross amassed.

On top of that, the hit-and-miss 21-year-old also gave away possession 24 times, with his decision-making labelled as “puzzling” by journalist Amos Murphy.

Guardiola has defended Savinho in recent weeks by calling him an “aggressive” threat in attack at his best, with this criticism rampant when you consider he has put away just four goals from 64 City appearances.

But, even the Spaniard deciding to wear rose-tinted glasses at times can’t defend that shoddy showing against the Bundesliga giants, with the £30m attacker going down the route of becoming the club’s next Jack Grealish, in being another flashy and inconsistent flop.

He isn’t the only struggling star up top where the Grealish comparison rings true, however, as another underperformer begins to worry if he, too, is a high-profile acquisition gone wrong.

The Man City star turning into the next Grealish

At least Savinho, even if his efforts were largely inaccurate and clumsy, got himself involved in the thick of the action, having accumulated a mighty 76 touches of the ball come the full-time whistle.

On the contrary, Omar Marmoush – with his own tally of 18 touches – faded in and out of the contest as an unmemorable focal point, with his £59m price tag now weighing him down, much like Grealish’s excessive £100m valuation would be his dismal undoing.

Yet, Grealish did show flashes of his excellence at City here and there before an Everton loan move came to fruition, with 17 goals and 23 assists to date helping the sky blue half of Manchester to three Premier League titles.

Marmoush hasn’t quite got that in the bank, but he does have a respectable nine goals next to his name from just 36 outings.

Still, football is a fast-paced and fickle game, and for the riches that were splashed out on his services, after amassing a jaw-dropping 50 goal contributions for Eintracht Frankfurt, just one goal this season won’t cut the mustard, with his goal-shy display on Tuesday night further reinforcing how reliant City are on Erling Haaland to get them out of trouble.

Minutes played

65

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

18

Shots

0

Accurate passes

7/9 (78%)

Possession lost

7x

Total duels won

2/5

From his minimal touches of the ball, despite lasting 65 minutes on the Etihad turf, Marmoush would fail to register a single effort on Mark Flekken’s busy net.

In stark contrast, the constantly dangerous Haaland would manage a colossal four shots, from just nine touches.

With only two duels won, too, it’s unlikely that Guardiola will be keen to utilise the Egyptian as his lone striker moving forward, as he now finds himself in danger of fading into the background, rather than being an impactful statement signing, like the former Aston Villa man.

Time will only tell if he can kick on this season to show he belongs, with injuries not helping him this campaign so far, either.

But, based on his Leverkusen showing alone, he will be pushed back to the bench, alongside Savinho, when Premier League action returns at the weekend.

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Arsenal defeated rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in the North London Derby, and there was some controversy on display during a pulsating affair, with one particular matter piquing the interest of Mark Goldbridge.

The Gunners went into the clash knowing that a victory would put them six points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table, while Spurs had the opportunity to move into the top four.

On this occasion, Mikel Arteta was able to claim a valuable triumph against Thomas Frank’s side, beginning with a deflected Leandro Trossard strike before Eberechi Eze enhanced his reputation as a Gunners’ fan favourite with a brace at the Emirates Stadium, the second of which coming just after the interval.

Spurs rallied in the second half, and Richarlison’s long-range strike caught out David Raya in stunning fashion. However, the home side had already done more than enough to secure the victory beforehand, keeping their charge for the title well and truly on track.

Eze completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, earning derby folklore status after joining Arsenal despite interest from Tottenham during the summer window to complete a 4-1 rout.

Next time out, Arsenal face the small matter of taking on Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium, pitting two of Europe’s heavyweights against each other in the capital on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Tottenham face the unenviable task of going to Paris Saint-Germain, presenting a challenge of great might against the reigning Champions League holders.

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Thrills and spills underpinned another pulsating affair between both sides, though it wasn’t an evening that was short of controversy, which is usually the case with both sides fighting tooth and nail for local bragging rights.

With that in mind, Goldbridge took to social media to point out something he believes VAR missed during a dramatic affair at the home of the Gunners.

Mark Goldbridge takes aim at VAR during Arsenal vs Spurs

Taking to X, Goldbridge took issue with Eze’s first goal being allowed after two Arsenal players were in the line of Guglielmlo Vicario’s sight as he struck sweetly into the bottom corner.

In theory, Goldbridge has a point, given that Virgil Van Dijk saw a goal ruled out in similar circumstances during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat against Manchester City before the international break.

Nevertheless, there is an argument to be had as to whether either player is actually preventing Vicario from saving Eze’s strike, something that is likely to dominate headlines over the next few days after a momentous victory for the Gunners.

Either way, Arsenal appear to be in fine fettle and have taken command of their mission to claim a first Premier League title since 2004, which is becoming more likely with every passing week.

TORONTO —  There is a laundry list of problems the Seattle Mariners will take into Game 7 of the American League Championship Series tonight. They have struck out almost twice as many times as the Blue Jays (62–34). They don’t win when they don’t hit a home run (13–30 in 173 games this year). And they must win in the toughest place to win this year in the AL.

None of those issues are their biggest problem. The Mariners have a Vlad problem.

To go to their first World Series, they must figure out how to pitch to a smoking hot Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is having a postseason for the ages. So hot is Guerrero that the best course of action for Seattle pitchers is to swallow their pride and pitch around him in any spot with a smidgen of meaning.

No offense to Alejandro Kirk, who is swinging a hot bat behind him right now, but there is no way the Mariners can go home allowing Guerrero even a chance of beating them. You pitch to him every time in Game 7 as if there are two outs and first base open. He is that good and that hot.

In a too-easy 6–2 victory over a tight Seattle team Sunday (three errors, three double plays grounded into and 13 strikeouts), Guerrero’s night went like this:

Popped out for only the second time this postseason.Grounded out on a slider on one of the seven hardest hard balls he has hit all year (116 mph).Ripped a curveball for a home run.Shot a classic “how-dare-you” look at the Mariners’ dugout upon scoring after they hit him with a pitch.Hit a sinker twice for a single—once as it broke his bat on the handle and again, on the carom, with his barrel.

“He came in the dugout and said, ‘I hit that twice,’” said Toronto center fielder Dalton Varsho. “That’s how hot he is. He knew he hit it twice.

“It’s amazing to watch this.  He’s hitting everything right now. It doesn’t matter where they pitch him—in, out, up or down—and what they pitch him. I mean, he’s so hot right now they flipped him a curveball out of nowhere and he’s on time and hits it out.”

The Mariners have thrown him 77 pitches in this series. Only two have been curveballs. He smoked one for a double and whacked the other for a homer to end the night of a wholly ineffective Logan Gilbert, Seattle’s Game 6 starter.

تحدث ياسين منصور، نائب رئيس مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي، عن كواليس عودته للعمل داخل القلعة الحمراء، ورؤيته لتطوير المنظومة الإدارية والرياضية.

وقال ياسين منصور في تصريحات عبر برنامج “الحكاية”، على قناة “mbc masr”: “سر عودتك للنادي الأهلي؟ هذا حب أو كما يُقال (القلب وما يريد) الحقيقة أنني في الأهلي ربما بدأت مشواري في المجلس مع الكابتن صالح سليم – رحمه الله – ثم مع الكابتن حسن حمدي، ثم رحلت، ثم عدت في شركة الكرة، ثم غادرتها”.

وواصل: “وبعد ما حدث للكابتن الخطيب – بسبب حالته الصحية، نسأل الله أن يشفيه – جاء إلي وتحدثنا، فقلت له: الله، انظر.. إذا كنت ستنزل فأنا سأنزل معك نائبًا، وإذا لم تنزل فسأنزل أنا رئيسًا للنادي الأهلي، لكنني أفضل أن تكون موجودًا كرئيس للنادي”.

وتابع: “لأنني أيضًا لم أكن يومًا نائب رئيس، فأريد أن أرى كيف يسير المكتب التنفيذي، فالنادي الأهلي منظومة رائعة بالفعل، وأنا أرى أن وقت التطوير قد حان، وهذا سبب دخولي النادي، فهناك، في الحقيقة، أمور كثيرة جدًا يمكن القيام بها”.

وباغته الإعلامي عمرو أديب بتعليق: “لازلت تتحدث عن تطوير الأهلي والزمالك ليس قادرًا على الحصول على الأرض”، ليرد عليه نائب رئيس النادي الأهلي ضاحكًا: “هذا موضوعكم أنتم، أما نحن فسنواصل العمل”.

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وواصل: “طبعًا كرة القدم في مصر – بشكل عام – تشهد حالة من الفوضى، وتواجه مشاكل كبيرة جدًا، فعلى سبيل المثال، النادي الأهلي أنشأ أكثر من شركة، لكن فكرة إنشاء مثلًا شركة الكرة أصبحت منتشرة الآن، ففي الوقت الحالي ريال مدريد يُنشئ شركة كرة”.

ليعلق أديب ساخرًا: “نعم، ريال مدريد يقلد الأهلي” فيرد عليه منصور مازحًا: “نعم، يقلد الأهلي.. هذا هو الواقع، وقد أرسلوا لنا أشخاصًا ليروا التجربة الأهلاوية، وسيصلون قريبًا”.

واختتم: “شركة الكرة أمر بالغ الأهمية، فمن المفترض في أوروبا أن تمثل تذاكر المباريات دخلاً للأندية يتراوح بين 25% و30%، لكن التذاكر هنا لا تمثل 1% حتى من دخل النادي الأهلي، رغم أن التذاكر رخيصة”.

Trolling is a part of sports. Oftentimes, it's the athletes doing it, but every so often, a celebrity will join in on the fun in the name of supporting their favorite team. That's what Canadian rapper Drake did when he playfully trolled Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani in the midst of a thrilling, back-and-forth World Series that was eventually won by Los Angeles in seven games.

Only, the Dodgers didn't see Drake's social media posts as playful trolling. As Dodgers Game 7 hero Miguel Rojas told TMZ in an interview, Los Angeles perceived the Canadian rapper's online jabs at Ohtani to be disrespectful.

Rojas says Drake trolling Ohtani 'didn't go unnoticed'

"… That [Drake's trolling] doesn't go unnoticed," Rojas said. "When you kind of disrespect—a little bit—the best player in the game. Not understanding the quality of the person and what the guy has done for baseball. … You don’t have to do that, man.”

What did Drake post about Ohtani?

Drake decided to have a little social media fun at the Dodgers‘ expense following the Blue Jays‘ Game 5 victory—in which Toronto starter Trey Yesavage dominated Los Angeles‘s lineup. The Canadian rapper took to Instagram and trolled Ohtani, who went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against Yesavage.

Rojas credited Yesavage for his superb pitching, but noted that in the Dodgers‘s eyes, Drake didn't have to go there and troll Ohtani. The Dodgers infielder, who hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7, explained that Drake's trolling is what prompted teammate Kiké Hernández to take a shot at the rapper during the team's victory celebration.

Kiké Hernández fires back at Drake after Dodgers‘ World Series win

Hernández, during his speech at the Dodgers‘ World Series parade, couldn't resist taking a not-so-subtle jab right back at Drake, referencing one of Drake's songs, "Big Rings."

"…Playing the most games in October for this franchise, for this really big team that has a lot of really big rings," Hernández said.

Perhaps the Drake curse lives on?

MatériaMais Notícias

Torcida organizada do Flamengo criou um bandeirão em homenagem à goleada de 6 a 1 sobre o Vasco, no último domingo (2), no Maracanã, pela sétima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Tal vitória foi a maior do Rubro-Negro Carioca em cima do time cruz maltino na história.

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Além do Bandeirão carregar as cores do Flamengo, o mesmo ostenta um trocadilho, representando o mês de junho, com o número 06 por extenso. A arte também leva o desenho de cada um dos seis jogadores que marcaram (Everton Cebolinha, Pedro, David Luiz, Arrascaeta, Bruno Henrique e Gabigol) e o minuto de cada gol.

As referências e brincadeiras não param por aí. Abaixo dos jogadores está escrita a frase “O abandono parte 2”, que é uma clara alusão à goleada de 4 a 1 no ano passado, quando o Flamengo aplicou quatro gols no primeiro tempo, e os torcedores do Vasco foram vistos deixando o estádio ainda no intervalo. O mesmo fato aconteceu no 6 a 1 da semana passada.

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No último sábado, no Flamengo x Vasco pela final da Copa Rio Sub-17, a bandeira foi levada por torcedores à Gávea. O técnico Filipe Luís comandou a equipe na vitória por 2 a 1 e garantiu a vantagem do empate no jogo da volta da competição. O bandeirão deve fazer sua estreia no Maracanã na partida contra o Grêmio na próxima quinta, às 20h (Brasília), pela oitava rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Tudo sobre

FlamengoFutebol Nacional

India have not yet received the Asia Cup trophy after refusing to accept it from Mohsin Naqvi during the presentation ceremony following the final on September 28

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2025

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is hopeful of a resolution with PCB and Asian Cricket Concil (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi over the Asia Cup trophy dispute after the “ice has been broken” between the two boards during the recent ICC meeting in Dubai.”I was a part of both the informal and formal meeting of the ICC. PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi was also present. During the course of a formal meeting, it was not on agenda but ICC facilitated a meeting between myself and the PCB chief separately in the presence of a senior ICC office-bearer and another senior official,” Saikia told PTI. “It was really good to start the process of negotiation.”Both sides will work out something to solve the issue at the earliest. The ice has been broken now, so various options will be worked out. There will be options from the other side as well and we will also give options on how to settle this issue and come to an amicable solution.”Related

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India refuse to accept Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

India have not yet received the Asia Cup trophy after beating Pakistan in the final on September 28. There was a standoff at the presentation ceremony with India refusing to accept the trophy from Naqvi, the ACC and PCB chair who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, following the cross-border skirmish between the two countries in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam in April.India and Pakistan played each other three times during the Asia Cup – in the group stage, the Super Fours, and the final – with all the fixtures fraught with tension that began with India’s decision not to shake hands with the Pakistan players in their first meeting on September 14. The matches were ill-tempered with Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan all receiving penalties of varying severity from the ICC for their comments or on-field actions.After the final, the presentation ceremony was delayed by more than 90 minutes while Naqvi remained insistent that he be the person handing over the trophy to India, who did not budge from their stance. Eventually the trophy was taken away from the stage and the team has not received it to date.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has lavished praise on a Gunners who’s done something he never expected.

Arsenal look to extend unbeaten run against Brentford

Arsenal return to the Emirates tonight seeking to rebuild momentum against Brentford following Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea, where Arteta’s side failed to capitalize on their one-man advantage despite playing almost an hour against ten men.

The north Londoners have also seen their five-point lead atop the Premier League table reduced to two after Man City’s thrilling 5-4 win away to Fulham on Tuesday, so nothing but a win will do against one of the worst away teams in the division this evening.

Arteta faces selection dilemmas ahead of Brentford’s visit, with defensive concerns persisting following the unexpected absence of both first-choice centre-backs at Stamford Bridge.

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William Saliba suffered a training ground injury in the build up to Chelsea, compounding Gabriel Magalhaes’ absence and marking only the second occasion in 162 matches both defenders have missed simultaneously.

It could well be the third time in 163 matches against Brentford, with Saliba a doubt for tonight’s clash and Gabriel still weeks away from returning to the field.

Arsenal’s incredible unbeaten streak has now reached 17 matches across all competitions, yet Arteta demands improvements following the Chelsea stalemate. The Gunners managed just eight shots at Stamford Bridge – their lowest total in any Premier League fixture this season.

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Leandro Trossard, who’s been in excellent form with 10 goal contributions already this term, looks set to miss the Brentford game with Havertz also suffering a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.

Mikel Arteta says Merino has took him by surprise at Arsenal

Bearing this in mind, if Arteta doesn’t start Viktor Gyokeres, then makeshift number nine Mikel Merino could well be handed another chance to impress.

The Spain international has been nothing short of extraordinary in a very unfamiliar role, scoring 20 goals this calendar year for club and country, and Arteta has now had his say on the matter.

When asked by reporters whether he thought Merino could become a striker like this, Arteta admitted the 29-year-old has taken him completely by surprise.

Merino’s equaliser ensured that Arsenal’s unbeaten streak didn’t end in west London on Sunday, and the former Newcastle star has fast become a fan favourite.

2025 has been a real year to remember for the midfielder, who was one of Edu’s final signings before his departure as sporting director late last year.

Arteta can take a lot of the credit for transforming Merino into an attacking powerhouse and having the initiative to experiment with him up front, but the versatile star has seized that opportunity with both hands.