Arsenal

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal will look to extend their perfect start to the new season when they face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday (20:00 BST) in the Premier League.

The Gunners head to Wearside on the back of an impressive win over Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday. Arsenal have also won all three of their league games so far this campaign, making a strong start to the defence of the title they won last season.

Sunderland have bounced back well after an opening-weekend loss to Ipswich Town, taking four points from games against Fulham at home and Brentford away in their subsequent fixtures.

Can the Black Cats disarm the Gunners?

In the early weeks of last season, Sunderland were one of the few sides to give the Gunners problems. Dan Ballard's opening goal against Arsenal in November 2025 was the first time Mikel Arteta's side had conceded in eight games at the time; a stoppage-time strike from Brian Brobbey earned the Black Cats a 2-2 draw.

While they are capable of giving Arsenal a bloody nose, getting over the line and beating the Gunners has not been easy for Sunderland down the years.

Sunderland have only won one of their last 14 league games against Arsenal at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats actually only have one victory in 29 Premier League meetings against the Gunners, and are winless in 17.

How will they go about changing that record? With Arsenal likely to have the majority of the ball, Sunderland are likely to fall back on the direct style that has served them so well since returning to the Premier League. Under head coach Regis le Bris, they like to move the ball forward quickly.

Martin making his mark

Arsenal's start to the season has been supercharged by the form of their resurgent skipper, Martin Odegaard.

The midfielder netted one goal last season. This term, he has four in five games, including the winner against Napoli in midweek, as his sweet strike from the edge of the box capped off an excellent 29-pass move.

There has been a clear tactical shift in Odegaard's playing style this season, meaning he is getting much more of the ball in increasingly dangerous areas.

Overall, his shots, expected goals and touches in the opposition box are up this season per 90 compared with last term.

Odegaard's movements off the ball also illustrate more of a willingness to get into goalscoring positions.

In the Premier League this season, he has already made seven cross-option runs – a run to get into the penalty area to make yourself available for a cross while your team-mate has the ball in a wide area – having made just 10 across the whole of the previous term.

At the other end of the pitch, even with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba out injured, the Gunners remain solid at the back. Their win over Napoli made it three clean sheets from four and, across their past three games, they have conceded a total of 0.93 xG, which is the lowest in the division.

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have reached a pre-contract agreement to sign Georgian forward Andria Bartishvili in July 2027.

The 17-year-old, who operates as a winger or attacking midfielder, will join from Kolkheti 1913, subject to the completion of regulatory processes.

Bartishvili is currently on loan at Georgian top-flight side Iberia 1999, where he scored his first professional goal in May.

He has two caps for Georgia under-21s, having also played for the under-16s, under-17s and under-18s.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Defender Ben White is "fine" to play against Sunderland, despite coming off late on in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Napoli, while Jurrien Timber has been "training with us for a few days and looks in good shape". Cristhian Mosquera is "doing really well" and may be available for "either this one or the next one".

• Arteta praised Kai Havertz's form and said: "Kai is extremely intelligent, that's his biggest quality. He is five seconds ahead of the game and he just makes the people around him better. He is scoring goals, producing chances, his work-rate is outstanding and he is in an outstanding emotional state."

• He was asked about how he coped with a plane delay when going to Italy, with Arteta saying he "loves those challenges" and that the club try to act out potential problems. He added: "I try to create them in pre-season and arrive at different times so when they happen we have already experienced it. You can miss a flight and the train can be delayed, but I don't want the players or staff to be panicking when it happens and instead adapt to it. But do not complain and use it as an excuse because it's not helpful at all."

• He added: "We delay the meals, delay the transport, take a different route, make the dressing room hot, less beds, because we are going to have to adapt so there is not an element of surprise on matchday. It's important."

• On Saturday's opponents Sunderland, he said: "We experienced last season how difficult it will be and it's great to play these type of games. We have prepared, we are ready tomorrow to be on the pitch and compete like we always do - and be better than the opponent and try to win the game. Last year, we dropped points there in the last minute [drawing 2-2] and we've learned a lot from that game."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news.

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Martin Zubimendi may push to leave Arsenal in January after losing his place in the XI, with Chelsea and Real Madrid interested in the midfielder. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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The perception of Arsenal's transfer window varies depending on who you speak to - but there will be no disagreement from anyone at Emirates Stadium over how crucial their next expected signing will be.

With the market closed until January, the club are now in the process of finalising an agreement with manager Mikel Arteta over his protracted new contract.

Well-placed sources indicate those discussions have moved forward recently, amid full confidence from those involved in talks that the Spaniard will renew.

Arteta moved unequivocally last month to remove any lingering doubt over his future: "Everybody feels comfortable that the timing of the contract is not going to be an issue because my will certainly is to be here and I'm very happy here."

For Arsenal supporters, the official announcement can't come soon enough, particularly given his current deal now has just nine months left to run.

Arteta's fingerprints are all over the club and - most importantly - the squad. Nothing happens from a first-team perspective without his approval.

With that in mind, the thought of removing Arteta from that dynamic, certainly for Arsenal's ownership, is the unthinkable.

This is a squad that has flourished under his tutelage. The average age of the squad (26.2 years) is one of the oldest in the Premier League. It is a group at its peak and primed to build a legacy on.

Beyond the new financial terms, Arsenal are buying into Arteta's vision.

The summer arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa were sizeable investments, given both turn 30 next year, while the albeit failed pursuits of Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez provided evidence that the club's owners are willing to spend heavily on elite talent.

It is the sort of ambition Arteta is understood to have made clear he wanted to see as talks over his contract progressed.

Read the full article here

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The Premier League has announced it will stage seven matches on Boxing Day this year after releasing its festive schedule.

Four fixtures will be staged at 15:00 GMT, with further matches played at 12:30, 17:30 and 20:00.

The fixture programme for 26 December, which falls on a Saturday in 2026, is considerably bigger than last year, when one game was held.

Three matches will be played on Sunday, 27 December, while three further rounds of games will be held over a period up to Thursday, 7 January.

A round of evening midweek fixtures will staged on 29-30 December, while Leeds will host Everton (20:00) for the only match on New Year's Day.

The remainder of that round will be held over the weekend of 2-3 January, with the fourth round of games spread across the evenings of 5-7 January.

The Premier League has brought forward the announcement of fixture scheduling over the Christmas and New Year period after consultation with both broadcast partners and the Football Supporters' Association and representatives from club Fan Advisory Boards.

Television scheduling for Premier League fixtures has been announced up to Monday, 2 November, with broadcast selections for the remaining games in November and December to be announced in the weeks commencing 21 September and 19 October respectively.

The Premier League has guaranteed clubs at least a 60-hour break between fixtures over the festive period to address the concerns over a congested festive schedule that follows recent expansions of the European and international calendars.

Premier League Christmas and New Year schedule

Saturday, 26 December

12:30 Aston Villa v Leeds

15:00 Everton v Sunderland

15:00 Fulham v Brighton

15:00 Ipswich v Brentford

15:00 Spurs v AFC Bournemouth

17:30 Hull v Liverpool

20:00 Newcastle v Manchester City

Sunday, 27 December

14:00 Coventry v Chelsea

16:30 Manchester Utd v Nottingham Forest

19:00 Crystal Palace v Arsenal

Tuesday, 29 December

19:30 Hull v Leeds

19:30 Spurs v Brighton

20:15 Everton v Manchester City

Wednesday, 30 December

19:30 Coventry v Brentford

19:30 Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Fulham v Arsenal

19:30 Manchester United v Sunderland

19:30 Newcastle v Nottingham Forest

20:15 Aston Villa v Liverpool

20:15 Ipswich v Chelsea

Friday, 1 January

20:00 Leeds v Everton

Saturday, 2 January

12:30 Brighton v Manchester United

15:00 Arsenal v Ipswich

15:00 Brentford v Crystal Palace

15:00 Liverpool v Coventry

15:00 Nottingham Forest v Fulham

15:00 Sunderland v Hull

17:30 AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Sunday, 3 January

14:00 Chelsea v Newcastle

16:30 Manchester City v Spurs

Tuesday, 5 January

19:30 Arsenal v Brentford

19:30 Brighton v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Everton v Aston Villa

19:30 Nottingham Forest v Hull

20:15 Sunderland v Liverpool

Wednesday, 6 January

19:30 Crystal Palace v Chelsea

19:30 Fulham v Spurs

19:30 Ipswich v Coventry

20:15 Leeds v Manchester City

Thursday, 7 January

20:00 Manchester United v Newcastle

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The seemingly perennial debate surrounding Arsenal's striking options has returned to the fore after Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League win away at Napoli.

The Gunners dominated but were guilty of wasteful finishing and were relieved with captain Martin Odegaard's late breakthrough despite having 26 shots - their most in a Champions League game since the start of last season.

Viktor Gyokeres started his first game of the season but struggled at times and was replaced by Kai Havertz just before Arsenal broke the deadlock.

"There is always a question going to be asked of Gyokeres," former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"There is a lot of talk around Arsenal and their big moves in the transfer market and one of the big stories was around the number nine that they were looking to bring in.

"Obviously they have Gyokeres and Havertz and they have rotated so far this season with Havertz starting. Arsenal have a deep squad and the striker position, and possibly the left side after Martinelli's exit, are the two areas where they don't have the cover they have in other places.

"Those are the two areas you could maybe question but when you look at their squad and the rest of the Premier League - they have the deepest, strongest squad by a long way.

"I think with Gyokeres and Havertz there is the question mark of are either of those two of the world class quality that we talk about with Erling Haaland and maybe Julian Alvarez. You wouldn't put either of those two in that class.

"Arsenal have goals everywhere else in the team, the strength in depth is far more than anyone else in the Premier League and probably in Europe. They are going to be the team to beat again."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam added: "To get the best of Gyokeres as a striker, he wants to be slipped down the side and use his pace and power to get in behind.

"When he has to come and link I think that becomes the problem whereas Havertz likes to come and link the game and play and get runners off the sides.

"Gyokeres wants space to run into. Against Napoli he was always receiving with his back to goal. I don't think that's his strength. I think he is more of a number nine who wants to run and use the spaces.

"He needs to get up to speed and getting goals early in the season gives confidence."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your thoughts on Arsenal beating Napoli 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Nigel: We always struggle in Italy for some reason, and a weak Napoli parked the bus, yet again shining the light on Mikel Arteta's inability to break that low block down. It took a late flurry of subs to work it out. Must do better.

Vince: Martin Odegaard might be in the form of his life but it'd be foolhardy to keep relying on our captain to win the day, particularly with the boys playing 2-3 games a week. This should have been an easy win but we missed too many good chances. Eze and Gyokeres look like they need more minutes under their belt but otherwise, given this is just the start of the season, we look like we're warming up nicely!

Phoenix: Rock steady performance... at this stage just get your three points regardless. Well done boys.

John: Odegaard getting all the headlines so well done Martin but credit too to the Arsenal defensive unit. That's five competitive games so far this season; goals for: 10, goals against: 1. Not shabby.

Bobb: Spent most of the game in total control but left their shooting boots at home, especially Saka. Fortunately Napoli were really wasteful too with their few chances. Clinical performance in the end by Arsenal with incredibly complex passing through the familiar low block. Impressive performance again by Odegaard. Also Konsa has fitted straight in seamlessly.

Did you know?

Since the start of 2021-22, Arsenal's 3.81 open play xG against Napoli is the most accumulated by an away side in a Uefa Champions League game.

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Martin Odegaard, as manager Mikel Arteta hinted, is almost playing like someone with something to prove.

He knows that while Arsenal had a season of glory last time out, his personal contribution was not what he expected from himself.

Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha said Odegaard "will want to have a bigger impact on the team this season" on Match of the Day.

"They have got unfinished business in the Champions League," said Onuoha. "He wants to be the first captain of Arsenal to lift that trophy.

"You would not back against them winning it based on what we have seen them do in this competition in the past two seasons, but he 100% takes Arsenal to a different level when he is on form and playing like this.

"That's the way it should be as well. When he is at his best, Arsenal are at their best. The best version of Arsenal, in my opinion, comes when Odegaard is pulling the strings."

This time around, Odegaard looks smooth as silk - and it is no coincidence Arsenal look exactly the same.

"Arsenal have obviously looked good at the start of the season and he has been a big reason for that," added Onuoha. "Some of his creativity, especially on the right-hand side, has been excellent.

"He looks after the ball so well. He is always looking for that pass to be able to create opportunities. He even does defensive work as well."

Arsenal's superiority was illustrated by having 26 shots against Napoli, their most in a single Champions League match since records began in 2003-04.

The Champions League has proved elusive for Arsenal, with finals lost to Barcelona in 2006 and Paris St-Germain last season.

It remains their Holy Grail - but if Odegaard maintains his brilliant form, their chances of crossing a so far insurmountable barrier will increase hugely.

Read the full article here

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal starting XI:

David Raya: Fortunate to escape unpunished after spilling an attempt by Kevin de Bruyne from outside the box. 6

Piero Hincapie: One of four players making their first starts of the season. Fired over from close range when it seemed easier to score. 6

Gabriel Magalhaes: Dominant performance at the heart of the defence and produced some strong challenges. 7

Ezri Konsa: Worked hard as the Gunners kept another clean sheet. His passing was also decent. 7

Ben White: Eager to burst forward and supply crosses into the box. Did well to react first after Raya spilled a Kevin de Bruyne attempt. 6

Declan Rice: Work rate could not be faulted. 6

Mikel Merino: Should have marked his first Arsenal start since January with a goal but headed straight at the keeper. 6

Eberechi Eze: First start of the season. Early attempt deflected over the bar but was also lucky to escape a caution. 6

Martin Odegaard: Captain to the rescue with an outstanding finish from outside the box as Arsenal looked set for a frustrating night. 8

Bukayo Saka: Busy performance and registered five attempts alone in the first half. Wasted one glorious chance when he lifted it over the bar and had one acrobatic effort straight at the keeper. 6

Viktor Gyokeres: Had just six touches in the first half and struggled to make an impact on his first start of the season. 5

Arsenal substitutes:

Bruno Guimaraes (on 65, Merino): Helped his team to three points. 5

Christos Tzolis (on 65, Eze): Sent the ball into orbit while attempting a shot before providing the assist for the winner. 5

Kai Havertz (on 73, Gyokeres): Helped his side to an important win. 5

Noni Madueke (on 73, Saka): Worked hard after coming on. 5

Martin Zubimendi (on 82, White)

Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Illan Meslier, Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Max Dowman.

Read the match report and see how you rated the players

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

Reaction, analysis and highlights to follow - and come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies.

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Former Manchester City defender and Match of the Day pundit Nedum Onuoha: "Viktor Gyokeres, Piero Hincapie and Mikel Merino got some minutes tonight. Playing away in the Champions League, it is always going to be tough, but I think with Gyokeres, you can feel the difference when he is playing compared to when Kai Havertz is.

"I don't think at the moment Gyokeres is really elevating Arsenal to that next stage because there are certain parts of his game that, in terms of general play, it feels different to some of the other players in there.

"I am sure Mikel Arteta is still more than happy for him to play the game the way that he does do it, and his effort is not the issue here, but he is just different.

"I think some of the praise that Arsenal have received in recent weeks has been because of their fluidity in terms of how they have attacked, and, the way Gyokeres has been playing, that's not where he is at right now.

"That's not to say he can't necessarily be in that position, but you get the feeling at this moment in time there is a reason why Havertz is the preferred striker, and tonight was another example because after Havertz came on, the game felt different.

"Arsenal created chances before that and Gyokeres created a chance or two himself, but Arsenal just felt like a different team when Havertz was in there, maybe because there were some more familiar faces coming on to the pitch as well, the likes of Christos Tzolis and so on, but they looked different and it felt different, it felt more familiar."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to TNT Sports: "Fully deserved three points.

"The performance probably doesn't reflect the result, the team was superb. We showed quality in a lot of moments to break them down, and it was a shame because we missed so many great chances.

"On any other day the result would be different."

On captain Martin Odegaard: "Martin is contributing with goals that are impacting results, which is what we want from our attacking players, being decisive, and certainly he was again today."

"We should have done it in a different way because of the amount of chances we created.

Did you know?

• Arsenal have won their last 13 group stage games in the Champions League, the second-longest run in the competition's history after Bayern Munich (17 between December 2020 and November 2023).

• Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard scored his first Champions League goal since March 2025 (2 vs PSV), while three of his six goals overall in the competition have come from outside the box.

There are six games in the Champions League on Wednesday as the opening week of the 36-team league phase continues, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Barcelona v Feyenoord (17:45)

• Stuttgart v Viking (17:45)

• Liverpool v Atletico Madrid - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Napoli v Arsenal

• Paris St-Germain v Slovan Bratislava

• Sporting v Galatasaray

Kick-off times 20:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Champions League commentary on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Atletico Madrid" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Liverpool match".

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One from 22:40 to 00:00.

How to follow the Champions League on the BBC

There's also Chelsea v Leeds United in the Carabao Cup third round happening tonight - follow that game here

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

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New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty at Aston Villa for Ian Maatsen's challenge on Bruno Guimaraes, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel has ruled.

The KMI Panel added that the Villa defender should also have received a second yellow card for the foul, and been sent off.

The Gunners were leading 1-0 eight minutes into stoppage time when Guimaraes broke into the box and Maatsen made a desperate attempt to stop the Brazil international getting his shot away.

The KMI Panel voted 5:0 that it was an on-field error by referee Jarred Gillett, and a missed intervention by video assistant referee James Bell.

"Clear contact was made on the attacker's standing leg and Maatsen made no contact with the ball," the KMI Panel said.

It added that "the challenge was reckless and therefore a second caution should have been awarded".

It is the first refereeing error logged for Arsenal since the VAR failed to intervene to overturn Myles Lewis-Skelly's red card against Wolves in January 2025.

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

After coming up agonisingly short in last season's Champions League final, Arsenal begin what they hope will be a glorious European campaign at Napoli.

The Gunners were beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain in May, with Gabriel missing the decisive kick after a 1-1 draw.

That was after Mikel Arteta's team topped the league phase with eight wins from eight and then went unbeaten during the knockout stages.

As for Napoli, their Champions League adventure was a big disappointment last term, as they finished in a lowly 30th place in the league phase.

New head coach Massimiliano Allegri, who replaced Antonio Conte this summer, will be confident of a better show from what is still a talented squad.

Did you know?

• Napoli won their first Serie A game of the season, but go into this game after back-to-back losses.

• Arsenal have only won on one of their last six away trips to face Italian sides in the Champions League (D1 L4), failing to score in five of those.

Image source, Getty Images

Key Napoli players - Rasmus Hojlund

Hojlund scored 16 goals for the Partenopei last season on loan from Manchester United.

The forward's move to Napoli was made permanent for £38m after they secured Champions League qualification through Serie A last season.

The 23-year-old faced Arsenal five times as a United player, but he is yet to score or win against the Gunners.

Napoli squad summary

Napoli will be without Scott McTominay as he required surgery due to an irregular heartbeat.

Last season the Scot featured in 44 games for the Italian club in all competitions, and scored 14 goals. Veteran midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has been used solely as an impact substitute this season.

He has come off the bench three times in Serie A, but has registered a goal and an assist in 85 minutes of play. De Bruyne has been involved in 12 goals in his last 17 starts against Arsenal (eight goals, four assists), including five in his most recent three (three goals, two assists).

"I thought Arsenal were fluid last season, but I feel like they are actually more fluid this season," says former England defender Conor Coady.

The reigning Premier League champions have taken three wins and conceded just one goal in their opening three league games of the season.

"Arsenal look the most ready I've seen them in a long time at this stage of a season," Coady told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "Usually, at this stage, teams are still getting up to speed and there are a few flaws here and there, but they look top.

"It comes down to what Mikel Arteta has done over the summer, for me. I don't mean in terms of recruitment, but more so what he has done on the grass. It is all about his ability to make his players better.

"Arsenal look so far ahead of everybody else at the minute it is unbelievable.

"I thought they were fluid last season, but I feel like they are more fluid this season. I viewed them as a physical side last season, but this season there is fluidity between everybody.

"That is what I believe top managers do. It isn't just about the players you are bringing in, it is about making the players you already have better."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Following their Premier League title win and run to the Champions League Final, Arsenal have recieved several nominations for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

The club have been nominated for the Men's Club of the Year award, whilst manager Mikel Arteta has been nominated for Men's Coach of the Year.

Midfielder Declan Rice and defenders Gabriel and William Saliba are named on the 30-man shortlist for the men's Ballon d'Or, alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane.

Goalkeeper David Raya has also been shortlisted for the Men's Yashin Trophy, an award for the world's best goalkeeper from the previous season.

Raya, who was nominated for the same award in 2015, kept clean sheets in 19 of his 37 league appearances last campaign.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London which takes place on Monday, 26 October 2026.