Arsenal
Arsenal set unwanted record in Europa League tie vs Benfica
Arsenal set an unwanted record during Thursday night’s Europa League draw with Benfica which ended 1-1 after being caught offside 10 times. A Bukayo Saka equaliser saw Arsenal fight back from a goal down to snatch a draw – and an all-important away goal – in their Europa League last-32 first-leg clash in Rome. Incredibly, the North Londoners were caught offside a staggering 10 times, which is more than any other Premier League side in all competitions this season. Club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was responsible for four of those. The previous record had been held by Manchester United, who were flagged eight times during their goalless Premier League draw with Liverpool last month. Crystal Palace were caught offside seven times in their 7-0 home mauling at the hands of Liverpool in D...
Chelsea pair set to miss out, Arsenal star may start against champions-elect
The 2020/21 Premier League season rumbles on this weekend, with some eye-catching fixtures scheduled to take place over the next four days. The action gets underway on Friday evening as Wolverhampton Wanderers go head-to-head with Leeds United at Molineux. There are four games on Saturday, with Southampton versus Chelsea kicking-off proceedings at lunchtime. Thiago Silva has definitely been ruled out of the game for the Blues, while Christian Pulisic is also doubtful with a calf injury. Burnley vs West Bromwich Albion is next on the agenda, but that will serve as a warm-up to the standout game of the day at 5.30 pm. Liverpool will be eager to bounce back to form in the Premier League after a dismal run as they face Everton at Anfield. The final match of the day sees Fulham welcome Sheffiel...
Premier League 2020/21 Week 25: EPL Results & Table
The 25th round of fixtures in the Premier League features some key match-ups at both ends of the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the weekend. The action is already underway, with Wolverhampton Wanderers going head-to-head with Leeds United at Molineux. 🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨 We’ve got live commentary of 🐺 #WolvesFC 🆚 #LUFC ⚪️at 8pm courtesy of @vksparks & @mbrowny1977 📻! Here’s how both sides line up 🔽 Listen live on @BBCSounds👇🎧📲 https://t.co/SeNxYP3LvM#bbcfootball #WOLLEE pic.twitter.com/p2ncRckTej — BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) February 19, 2021 The early game on Saturday sees Chelsea attempt to boost their...
Arsenal boss hails Manchester City as ‘best in Europe’
Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal team will be facing the best side in Europe when they take on Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. City have won a club-record 17 successive games across all competitions and are 10 points ahead of local rivals Manchester United at the summit of the English top-flight heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures. Arteta knows City well after working under manager Pep Guardiola in Manchester for three years before returning to manage Arsenal, having previously played for the Gunners. “I think they are the best team in Europe at the moment,” Arteta said of City. “The way they are performing, the football they are playing and the consistency of the results, take all that it and it makes them the best team. “So we have a b...
Key Arsenal player unlikely to be risked, Tottenham star omitted
The Europa League is back with a bang on Thursday as the round of 32 gets underway. Eight clubs have dropped into the competition from the Champions League, joining the 24 who safely navigated through the group phase. Manchester United and Ajax are the biggest names to enter the Europa League at this stage, and both will fancy their chances of making progress. However, with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Leicester City, AC Milan and Napoli amongst a strong line-up, winning the Europa League will not be easy. All four Premier League clubs are on the road for their first leg matches, with Arsenal facing the toughest test against Benfica. The Gunners have been boosted by Kieran Tierney’s return to training, but the defender is unlikely to be included in the starting XI. Spurs will be without Joe...
Why Arsenal need to win the Europa League this season
Arsenal and the Champions League. The marriage between the two was a loyal one which continued from 1999 to 2017. And the one guy who made it happen was none other than the legendary Arsene Wenger. But the failure to drive the team into Europe’s most elite stage in the 2016/17 season resulted in him not getting the nod ahead of the 18/19 season. Since then, Arsenal have seen three head coaches (including Freddie Ljungberg’s brief term), but are still in the same position as when Wenger left his post at the end of the 2017/18 campaign. Even though they came the closest in Unai Emery’s first season in charge, the signs were clear that Arsenal were further away from the most prestigious competition than what they had hoped for. Chelsea cruised past them in Baku in the 2018 Europa League final...
Arsenal could offload nine first-team stars as part of summer overhaul
Arsenal are planning a summer overhaul which could see them part ways with nine first-team stars, a report from The Sun claims. The north London side ended the previous season on a good note as they won the FA Cup and secured their spot in the Europa League. It was anticipated that they would kick on and push for the Champions League places in the Premier League this term but that has clearly not been the case. The Gunners have been inconsistent with their displays for most of the season and they are currently languishing in the 10th spot, eight points adrift of the top four. Whatever happens for the rest of the season, the club are bound to make changes to the squad and it is reported that as many as nine players could head for the exit door. The club have been financially impacted due to...
Pepe and Holding start, Predicted Arsenal Line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Benfica
Arsenal make the trip to Stadio Olimpico for Thursday’s Europa League round of 32 first-leg tie against Benfica. The north London side recently ended a three-match winless streak with a convincing 4-2 Premier League victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium. The victory should boost the confidence of the squad and manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping that his side can replicate the performance against Benfica. Formation: 4-2-3-1 Predicted Line-up: Arteta handed Alex Runarsson with four appearances in goal during the group stage of the Europa League but the 25-year-old has not been registered for the knockout phase. Mat Ryan is now the deputy goalkeeper for the Gunners but the manager should go with the first-choice in Bernd Leno between the sticks. In the backline, there may be a so...
Predicted Arsenal line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Leeds United, Odegaard to make full debut
Arsenal host Leeds United in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The north London side are currently positioned 11th in the standings after a three-match winless streak which has included back-to-back losses. They are currently nine points adrift of the Champions League places and will be aiming to reduce the gap with a much-needed win against Leeds today. Formation: 4-2-3-1 Predicted Line-up: Bernd Leno was suspended for the defeat at Aston Villa last weekend after his sending-off against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Mat Ryan did a credible job on his debut where he made seven saves. However, Leno should reclaim his position in goal. In the defence, Hector Bellerin and Cedric Soares should continue in the full-back positions. Kieran Tierney is still out with a lower leg inju...
Pundit says Arsenal and Leicester could sign transfer target for just £15 million
Former Celtic striker Andy Walker has claimed that Odsonne Edouard could be sold for as little as £15 million this summer. Eduoard’s current deal with Celtic expires in 2022 and he has shown no signs of signing a new contract with the Scottish Premiership club. The 23-year-old has been linked with Arsenal and Leicester City over the past few months, and Walker believes that Celtic would be well advised to sell the forward. “Odsonne Edouard realises that he’s got ability and is worth a lot of money,” Walker told the Scottish Football Podcast. “How much? I’m not sure, as he’s not been firing on all cylinders. “Let’s say they paid £9m for him but any player who switches off – I think that’s alarming for any potential suitor. “I know that it’s your job as the manager and the coaching staff to ...
Arsene Wenger reveals how close Arsenal were to signing Leicester City star
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has heaped praise on Leicester City star Jamie Vardy and revealed that he offered him a lot of money to join the Gunners in the summer of 2016. The 34-year-old guided the Foxes to a historic and maiden Premier League title during the 2015/16 season and ahead of the European Championships, he was widely fancied to sign for the north London giants after they triggered the £20 million release clause in his contract. However, the striker decided against joining them and instead committed his long-term future to the Foxes. The striker has not won any silverware since the unprecedented triumph but has still been the leader of the attack with 94 more goals to his tally. 86 of them have come in the English top-flight and he recently bagged the se...
Arsenal receive boost in signing on-loan Real Madrid star, available for £22m
Arsenal have received a potential boost in signing Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos on a permanent basis this summer. The Spain international is currently in his second season on loan with the Gunners and has already made 61 appearances for them in all competitions. It is unclear whether the Gunners will look to sign him permanently in the summer, but La Razon claims that Los Blancos are willing to sanction his sale. The midfielder is not in the plans of Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane and it is reported that he could be sold for around £22 million (€25m). Ceballos’ former side Real Betis are also interested, but they may only approach to sign him if Nabil Fekir heads through the exit door. SL view: Ceballos had an impressive debut season with the Gunners where he caught the e...
