Arsenal

Huzaifah Khan
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Champions League game against Sporting CP at Estadio Jose Alvalade (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On the latest team news, Arteta confirmed defender Gabriel is fit after coming off with a knock in the defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup.

• He added Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard are available for the game. However, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber have not travelled, but he said: "Hopefully, they'll be ready for the weekend [against Bournemouth] if everything goes well."

• On whether there is added importance on this game after the back-to-back losses, he responded: "This is the quarter-finals of the Champions League, it doesn't get much better than that, and we worked so hard throughout this season to be in this position in the competition."

• Arteta said: "We're going to play an opponent where we know their record, we know about what they've done. I'm hungrier than ever, very excited and very, very motivated for tomorrow's game."

• When asked about people questioning the mentality of his side, Arteta said: "That's never going to change when you play at this level for this club.

• The Spaniard said the expectations mean his players must "live in the present" and "deliver it every day".

• On Viktor Gyokeres' return to his former club, he said the striker is "very excited" and "full of gratitude" to all those who helped him in Portugal.

• Also on Gyokeres' exploits in the international break, where he scored four goals to help Sweden reach the World Cup, Arteta said: "Those are the experiences you put in your veins", adding the moments will stick with him "for the rest of his career".

• On facing Sporting: "When you know what they have done at home, the way they have behaved in this Champions League, the opponents they have beaten, we know the difficulties of this match and that is why we want it even more."

Listen to full commentary of Arsenal v Sporting CP on Tuesday at 20:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Got a question about Arsenal? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City have been a thorn in Arsenal's side in their quest for silverware.

In two of Arsenal's three second-placed finishes in the Premier League, the Gunners have been behind Pep Guardiola's side.

City beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final with one of their best performances of the season and that seems to have galvanised them.

They put four past Liverpool in the FA Cup to reach the semi-finals earlier on Saturday, before the Gunners lost at Southampton in their last-eight tie.

Arsenal have to travel to Etihad Stadium in April, which is likely to play a big part in this season's title race.

"It was only a couple of weeks ago people were saying Arsenal could do the quadruple. Now they are in two competitions," said former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards.

"Man City, after what they did earlier on [beating Liverpool in the FA Cup], look like they are going to push them all the way for the league.

"The most disappointing thing for me was watching Arsenal and their attitude. They have been excellent defensively, in transitions they have been very good, the shape has been good and the effort has been as good as anyone.

"For them to turn up the way they did, I thought was very poor."

Arsenal will hope this blip is only a footnote in what can still be a successful season - but the Gunners are going to have get back to their best, and quickly.

Read more here

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have not won the Premier League for 22 years and have finished in second place for three successive seasons.

The Carabao Cup final was Arsenal's first chance to win a major trophy for six years.

After losing to Manchester City and now being knocked out of the FA Cup by a lower-league team for the first time since 2021-22 - a third-round loss to Nottingham Forest - the Gunners need to ensure these defeats do not turn into a slump in form.

"They have to not let the season run away from them," former Arsenal and Southampton forward Theo Walcott told BBC Sport.

"Everything they have built this season, don't let it affect them. They have been in this situation before and they don't want to relive that."

Mikel Arteta has consistently spoken about everyone at the club's desire to win but with the end of the season approaching, games running out and a £250m spend in the summer, the pressure is at an all-time high.

Walcott said he noticed a "nervous energy" on the touchline at St Mary's that has been seen before in recent years.

"Visually watching Mikel on the sidelines, it was elements of previous years where that energy reflected into the team," he said.

"It was very tense. Not just Mikel but a lot of the staff were out there at times. It was like too many cooks in the kitchen, too many messages."

Read more

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final defeat at the hands of Championship Southampton.

Here are some of your comments:

Brian: Arteta gets what he deserves. The hype about a quadruple was fantasy. He sacrificed the FA Cup for the greater glories of the Premier League and Champions League. He has drilled his players to be slow and boring in their approach - all this 'to you, to me' passing without going anywhere is a difficult watch. The short corner routines achieved absolutely nothing. Even if Arsenal do win the league surely they will be remembered more for being the most boring side ever to win it.

Terry: Same old story, possession does not win games. Scoring goals is what matters. Missed chances do not count. The mentality has gone. Although not the best team were fielded this was a disaster. Can they recover to win the league? This manager needs more than help or he will be gone if no silverware this season.

Temi: This was a very bad night for everyone that loves this club. It's a signal that we might just go empty handed this season again without winning anything! If I may ask, where is the energy and determination of the first half with which this team had been playing before? I think Arteta should know that making us happy for a long period of the season only to break our minds at the end is not acceptable. Something needed to be done fast.

Nizzy: Only two players (Gabriel and Dowman) fit to wear the shirt. Hopefully with less fixture pressure we can finish strong in the Prem.

Dyfi: Absolute rubbish from the first kick. Well done Southampton. They were the better team by far. Some of the Arsenal players just think they need to turn up and the opposition will roll over. If it wasn't for the small amount of games left I think we'd lose the league too. Shameful, shocking display. Hang your heads.

Image source, Getty Images

Mikel Arteta's approach to Arsenal's past two games - the Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City and FA Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Championship Southampton - has been the subject of debate on the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"I think this is the end of the cycle for Arteta," said former Premier League goalkeeper Rob Green.

"This is do or die for him.

"You watched how City went about them without the ball, and then you watched how Southampton went about them off the ball as well. He didn't come up with an answer in either."

The Telegraph's Luke Edwards responded: "Has he been found out? Is there a blueprint there?

"Possibly, but I'm always wary of saying anybody has been found out.

"I know what you're saying - teams will now try to do that to Arsenal. I think they are more a victim of trying to win all four and going deep into all four competitions, even though they have the best squad in the country, I believe.

"Just going for all four - they have a few injury problems. I don't think they have been found out.

"I'm sticking with Arsenal to win the Premier League title.

"They have a shot at generational glory to become the first Arsenal team to win the Premier League in 20 years and compete for the Champions League."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Arsenal are among the clubs who have been contacted about the potential availability of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, 25. (Teamtalk), external

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

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Alex Howell
Football reporter

This was always going to be a difficult game for Arsenal on the back of their Carabao Cup final loss, with obvious fitness issues in their ranks and Southampton in fine form.

All the same, this was a poor performance from Mikel Arteta's side.

They did not create many serious opportunities and it was often 16-year-old Max Dowman who provided the most threat when the Gunners were going forward.

Arsenal never quite got to grips with Southampton's plan to play long balls behind the defence, and the fact key centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes went off with an injury just compounded a bad night.

Another trophy opportunity slipped away with this result, and Arsenal will be perceived by many to be wobbling.

They must refocus. Arsenal remain in a commanding position going into the closing weeks in the Premier League, nine points clear of Manchester City, and they travel to Portugal in the coming week to play Sporting in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Arteta's challenge is to ensure that costly back-to-back defeats do not signal the start of an even more serious slump that will leave his team without a trophy of any kind come the end of the campaign.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to BBC Sport: "We have to congratulate Southampton. They are in Wembley, we are not.

"We didn't manage the long balls well enough. We just let the ball through us. Difficult to explain but credit to them.

On how he picks his players up: "They have already done it in the dressing room."

On Gabriel's injury: "He couldn't continue so we have to assess him."

On if the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka will return for the Champions League: "I hope we can recover some players we are missing."

On back-to-back defeats: "In the season you have to go through periods. Some of them are difficult for whatever reason. Now we have two very disappointing results and we have to pick ourselves up. Now we have to show what we are made of and the way to do that is on the pitch and not here."

On how he keeps out the outside noise: "It's always been like this from the beginning of the season when the expectations on your team are so high. That's what you have to expect and live with in a natural way. Nobody is going to set the demands and standards higher than us that's for sure."

Did you know?

• Arsenal have lost back-to-back games in all competitions for the first time this season, while it's the first time they've been knocked out of the FA Cup by a team from a lower division since 2021-22 since losing to Nottingham Forest in the third round.

• The Gunners conceded 2 or more goals against a team from a lower division for the first time since losing 4-2 against Forest in the FA Cup in January 2018.

• Viktor Gyokeres has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, the most by a player in their debut campaign for Arsenal since Alexandre Lacazette in 2017-18 (17). The last player to score more in their first season for the Gunners was Alexis Sanchez in 2014-15 (25).

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

What did you make of Arsenal's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Tonda Eckert is hoping his Southampton side can pull off an FA Cup shock against Arsenal. The Saints are currently on a 14 match unbeaten run and are full of confidence.

Southampton starting XI: Peretz, Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Manning, Bragg, Jander, Fellows, Azaz, Scienza, Stewart.

Subs: Long, Quashie, Romeu, Charles, Edozie, Robinson, Archer, Oyekunle, Larin.

Mikel Arteta names a strong side despite a number of injury issues for the Gunners. Centre back Gabriel starts despite pulling out of the Brazil squad during the international break. Martin Odegaard makes his first start since January with 16-year-old Max Dowman also in the starting XI.

Arsenal starting XI: Kepa, White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Odegaard, Havertz, Dowman, Martinelli, Jesus

Subs: Raya, Saliba, Gyokeres, Madueke, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Harriman-Annous, O'Neil, Salmon.

Southampton are going really well in the Championship and are unbeaten in 14 games in all competitions, although I have got to say Norwich played them off the park despite losing 1-0 in March.

Saints got very lucky in that game and they are going to need an element of luck here too - although I am not sure Arsenal will have enough fit players to put out a team because of the injury crisis that affected them during the international break.

The Gunners have got a Champions League tie on the horizon too - they play Sporting on Tuesday - but the most important thing for Mikel Arteta's side is that they get back on track after losing the Carabao Cup final last time out.

Arsenal were second best in the second half at Wembley and although Arteta might save a few players for the trip to Portugal, he has to take this tie seriously and find a way to win. If they lose it, people are going to start talking about Arsenal's bottle again.

St Mary's has sold out and Saints are looking to mark the 50th anniversary of their famous FA Cup final triumph over Manchester United by heading back to Wembley for the semi-finals.

I don't see them making it, however. Instead I am going for the same scoreline we saw when these sides met in the 2003 final, and Arsenal came out on top.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say

There are three FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, including an all-Premier League clash, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Manchester City v Liverpool (12:45)

• Chelsea v Port Vale (17:15)

• Southampton v Arsenal (20:00)

Kick-off times BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert believes his side have found a couple of areas where they can "hurt" Arsenal as they look to cause an upset in their FA Cup quarter-final.

Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders will be looking to keep their Treble hopes alive at St Mary's on Saturday night, but it will be the first time the team have been in action since their Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City two weeks ago.

A Champions League quarter-final at Sporting and Premier League clash with Bournemouth quickly follow the trip to Southampton, where the Gunners are favourites to progress despite their injury concerns after 11 players withdrew from international duty during the break.

Arsenal have only lost four matches this season but Championship play-off hopefuls Southampton are also in a rich vein of form, having gone 14 unbeaten in all competition and winning 1-0 at Fulham in the previous round.

"It is a great team," Saints boss Eckert said. "I think rightfully every single manager in a press conference praises what Arsenal does and I can only continue that praise.

"It's a fantastic team with many, many answers to problems that you give them, so the preparation was fun this week because there's many more iterations of what you could potentially do.

"You see that they do have answers to many possible solutions, but I think we have found a couple of bits where we are able to hurt them and we just need to make sure we bring that on the pitch."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton at St Mary's stadium (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Arteta said "you will see" when asked about team news, and he will let people continue "the speculation" after they had 11 players withdraw from international duty.

• On the number of Arsenal players returning early from national team duties: "We have very good relationship and communication with most of the national teams - certainly with [England manager] Thomas [Tuchel] too. We have been extremely supportive all the time. When you have to communicate the state of every player, we are always honest and a medical decision had to be made. That was clear what the conclusion was."

• He continued: "When you are fit and available to play for the national team, you have to play. It makes us so proud that we had that many players in the national team. Players are desperate to play for their nation. I know how important it is to them. We are fully supportive of that and when we can do it, we do it."

• The Gunners boss says Noni Madueke's injury "is not bad", Eberechi Eze will be out for an unknown period of time, while Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber are "in contention to be in the squad".

• Arteta said his Premier League manager of the month award, which he won after a 100% record in March, is "a reflection of what the team is doing - the amount of performances and games that we are winning".

• After Kepa Arrizabalaga's mistakes in the Carabao Cup final, Arteta would not be drawn on who would start in goal against Southampton, responding: "Tomorrow, the goalkeeper is going to be European. He is under 32. Right-footed. And he speaks at least two languages."

• On FA Cup ambitions: "It's a huge competition and very closely related to the history of our football club. We are going to play a team who are in a really good moment. They've won a lot of games recently. We are ready for them and we want to go to Wembley again. We will be ready for that."

• He added: "It is the magic of the FA Cup that every scenario, every context has a history. This is a special game."

Listen to full commentary of Southampton v Arsenal on Saturday at 20:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

You can also watch live on the BBC and found out how to follow all of the action here

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Arsenal? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Morgan Rogers would be open to leaving Aston Villa this summer, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all in the mix to sign the 23-year-old England midfielder. (Sun), external

Arsenal, Manchester City and Paris St-Germain are all interested in 27-year-old Spain international Dani Olmo, with Barcelona open to selling the attacking midfielder. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

The Gunners remain interested in signing 19-year-old Real Madrid defender Victor Valdepenas at the end of the season, but the club will face competition from AC Milan. (Caughtoffside), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Who will win the Premier League player of the season?

Arsenal are leading the way in the title race and should they win, the likes of defender Gabriel and midfelder Declan Rice will surely be in contention.

Gabriel has been a vital player for the Gunners at the back as well as chipping in with some important goals, including a 90th-minute winner at Newcastle back in September.

In a season where it seems like Premier League football has had a bit of a throwback with its focus on physicality, Arsenal's Gabriel has been brilliant at both ends of the pitch.

You can class him as an old-school centre-half and the Brazilian is a force defensively, with Arsenal conceding just 22 goals in 31 league games this season.

Going forward, the 28-year-old has three goals and four assists. Since making his debut for Arsenal six years ago, no top-flight defender has more goals than the 20 he's scored.

Players like Bruno Fernandes, Antoine Semenyo and Dominik Szoboszlai have had impressive seasons with solid attacking numbers but ultimately it is Arsenal that lead the way in the Premier League.

Rice has notably had a fantastic campaign too but in terms of importance, no Arsenal player has been more influential than Gabriel in their quest for a first title since 2004.

Defenders do not often get individual recognition, but Gabriel has been a hugely influential figure in Arsenal's march towards the title.

I must admit that I did not rate the screaming Brazilian all that much when I first saw him play for Arsenal in a 2-0 defeat at St James' Park a few years ago.

But the much-improved centre-back has typified the journey Arsenal have gone on since that bruising night on Tyneside.

He has also embodied everything that has been so effective about Arteta's team this season.

Not only has Gabriel been a lynchpin in the top-flight's meanest defence – he has caused the opposition real problems at set-plays.

Read more on the contenders for player of the season

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Who will win the Premier League player of the season?

That won't be announced until towards the end of May but we already have a pretty good idea of the contenders, based on players' performances so far this campaign.

So, who are BBC reporters' player of the year picks?

Arsenal are in a strong position to win the Premier League this season and Declan Rice has been a key player behind their title charge.

No Gunners player has registered more league assists than his five this season, while he is also ranked top for number of chances and big chances created.

Rice is the favourite to be crowned player of the season and chief football writer Phil McNulty and senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel agree.

Arsenal's Rice wins my vote as player of the year for his consistently high quality and leadership as Mikel Arteta's side go in search of elusive trophies.

Add his dead-ball expertise and Rice is the full package as a midfielder in the top class.

He has been central to Arsenal's success and England head coach Thomas Tuchel will regard him as one of his most important players at this summer's World Cup.

The midfield thrust of Arsenal's impressive trophy assault this season. Whether he's at number six or eight – he is invariably one of the best players on the pitch.

How his season is viewed will ultimately be determined by the level of collective success Arsenal have by the end of the season. But regardless of their trophy haul, Rice has been sensational.

Read more on the contenders for player of the season

Arsenal are monitoring 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen and Cameroon forward Christian Kofane, with the German club wanting up to £60m for a summer transfer. (Florian Plettenberg), external

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

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Image source, Getty Images

Gabriel Jesus says Arsenal "don't think" about the Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City and are ready to "do something special" in the rest of the season.

The Gunners saw their Quadruple dreams ended with defeat at Wembley in their last game before the international break, but are still nine points clear of City at the top of the Premier League with upcoming quarter-finals in the FA Cup and Champions League.

"We don't really think about it now," said Jesus.

"We only think game by game. We still have a lot to play for and always focus on the next one and the next one is Southampton in the FA Cup.

"Then after we are thinking about Champions League and then Premier League. Obviously we want win everything. We play every game and every trophy because it's where Arsenal belongs. That's our target. You know, the main target is to win games and then obviously it's coming at the end of the season with the possibility to do something special."

After returning from a knee injury in late 2025, Jesus has been working his way back to full fitness but has not featured in any of the Gunners' last four Premier League matches.

However, the striker emphasised that the whole squad is pulling in the same direction as they look to end the season with silverware.

"I'm feeling great," he added.

"I'm a mentality guy that wants to win every single game and then obviously our manager built the spirit of the team. The team is the same like we want to win games and then we want to get to the end of the season.

"In this situation, the situation we are in at the moment, fighting for trophies - a lot of things to go to play for - I'm looking forward to playing every single game.

"And then you're thinking about winning the games and then obviously, by winning the games, winning trophies."

Laura Kirk-Francis
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

All roads lead to Rome. And all footballing projects must lead to silverware. The next few weeks will define Mikel Arteta's reign at Arsenal.

With the Gunners entering the run-in as Premier League leaders, as well as still in contention for the FA Cup and Champions League, the season is all about the cold hard currency of trophies.

It is these weeks that will define whether Arteta is the visionary who restored Arsenal to glory, or the maybe-man who couldn't quite go the whole way.

The second-place finishes for the past two seasons have been agonising, but it doesn't have to be that way this time around.

There is a version of this story that doesn't involve heartbreak, shredded nerves and unhealthy heart rates.

Winning this title race requires Arsenal to do what they've been doing all season, which is finding a way to win.

In previous years, the title has slipped out of their control, leaving fans praying for Manchester City to falter. This time is different and it simply has to be easier. Minute by minute, game by game, just win.

There may be an undertone of desperation in my words.

I am urging Arsenal to understand that this title is there for the taking. After the Carabao Cup final, Nico O'Reilly talked of "smelling blood".

These words only matter if Arsenal let them.

As a fan, the next few weeks are a blend of excitement and dread.

But it doesn't have to end in the usual heartbreak. For once, the ending is entirely in Arsenal's hands.

Find more from Laura Kirk-Francis at the Latte Firm podcast, external