Mikel Arteta wants to keep Arsenal in the hunt for the Premier League title when they visit Newcastle United on Saturday, opting to ignore comparisons with Jose Mourinho.
Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher likened Arsenal's manager to Mourinho, suggesting the Gunners "don't play great football".
That verdict came after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool before Arsenal eased to a 3-0 win against Preston North End in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday.
Arteta refused to be drawn on the comparison, however, insisting his focus was solely on repaying the faith of Arsenal's board and supporters with victory away to Newcastle.
"I don’t talk about myself. I leave him to give his opinion," Arteta started, referring to Carragher's punditry comments.
"Nobody is un-sackable. When this happens you have earned something and you have it in the bank somehow, but we are here to win football matches – never forget that."
Pressed on his five-year tenure at Arsenal, Arteta reiterated the same message, adding: "Very unusual. Unfortunately, it is very unusual.
"I will carry on with my job in the best possible way and football matches are the most important thing and you have to win many of them to keep your job."
Hosts Newcastle are winless in five league outings, slipping down to 12th in the table, and boss Eddie Howe warned no player is guaranteed selection before Wednesday's 2-0 against Chelsea in the same cup competition.
"No one is undroppable," he said, referring to Bruno Guimaraes.
"I think you make a valid point on Bruno’s minutes, his travelling, he’s done a lot, he’s always been there for us so we need to make sure we manage him well and manage the other players who have had a lot of minutes well."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle United – Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak averages a goal every 133 minutes in the Premier League for Newcastle – only Andrew Cole (one every 121 minutes) has a better average for the Magpies in the competition.
The Sweden striker has also scored 11 goals in his last 11 league appearances at St James’ Park, where he will hope to continue that run of form on Saturday.
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka has created more chances than any other Premier League player this season (27), while he has either scored or assisted in 10 of his last 12 league games – including seven of eight matches this campaign.
His three goals and seven assists in 2024-25 also make him one of just four players to achieve double figures for goal involvements in the Premier League.
MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN
Arsenal may be winless in their last two league games but they will be the favourites against Howe's struggling side.
Newcastle have not tasted victory in their last five league outings, their longest winless streak since a six-match run across August and September 2022.
Arsenal may have been beaten in their last trip to Bournemouth, too, but they have not suffered back-to-back away defeats in the league since May 2022.
The second of those defeats did come at Newcastle, however, where the Magpies have won two of their last three home Premier League games against Arsenal.
That is as many wins as Newcastle managed across 19 previous home league fixtures with Arsenal, who lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season thanks to Anthony Gordon's controversial winner.
Fortunately for Arteta, Arsenal have not suffered defeat in consecutive away league games against Newcastle since their first three such visits in the Premier League between 1994 and 1996.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Newcastle United win – 27.1%
Draw – 25.1%
Arsenal win – 47.8%
Dortmund's Sahin running out of time and players ahead of crunch Leipzig clash
Nuri Sahin is seemingly running short on time and players ahead of Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig.
Dortmund have not won any of their away matches in the league this season and have lost their last five games on the road in all competitions following Tuesday's loss to Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal.
They have been solid at home in the league, winning all four games, so any slip-up at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday would certainly pile more pressure on Sahin.
"This is not about my personal situation," Sahin said following his team's DFB-Pokal exit.
"It is about developing the club and getting back onto the winning track as quickly as possible.
"So it is not about me. It is about the club and I, as a coach, have the responsibility. Believe me, for me it is extremely bitter and disappointing to be in this situation we are currently in.
"We cannot do anything else other than keep working."
That has proved challenging this week, however, with Wednesday's open training scrapped and turned into individual fitness sessions due to a lack of available players.
Dortmund are without wingers Karim Adeyemi and Julien Duranville, attacking midfielder Gio Reyna as well as defenders Niklas Sule, Julian Ryerson and Yan Couto among others.
Midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is also nursing an injury but is likely to play while fellow defender Waldemar Anton, recovering from his own injury, could be an option by Saturday.
The mood could not be any different at Leipzig who are undefeated in the league and winners of their last four league games to join leaders Bayern Munich on 20 points.
They also had little trouble disposing of St Pauli 4-2 in the Cup on Tuesday.
Dortmund have won each of their last eight home games in all competitions, their longest run since between November 2022 and May 2023 (11).
BVB are the only team yet to drop a point at home in the Bundesliga this season and have collected 12 of their 13 points in Dortmund – the discrepancy between home and away points is not as big for any other team in the league.
Koyana Horne resigns from SVG Football Federation Executive Council citing governance concerns
In a bold move highlighting longstanding issues within the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Football Federation, Koyana Horne has tendered her resignation from the Executive Council, citing concerns over governance and transparency.
Horne, who was elected in March for a four-year term on the executive council, led by president Otashie Spring, said she wanted to serve based on the promise of good governance, transparency, accountability, and football development.
As such, Horne expressed disappointment with the federation's approach to governance, noting a lack of both transparency and inclusivity in decision-making processes. She added that her decision to resign with immediate effect reflects her commitment to personal integrity and to what she believes is in the best interest of SVG football.
“Please note that I did not take up the mantle to serve without careful thought, nor am I giving up at this point without the same careful considerations. However, I will like to maintain my sanity, integrity, and reputation at the end of the day. So allow me to express my disappointment in not being able to honour the period for which I was elected, and why,” Horne said in her letter, a copy of which was obtained by SportsMax.Tv.
“Too many questionable actions and decisions have not been sitting well with me. Though an elected member of the council, I feel ostracized from a lot of decision-making, and information sharing seems selective. As such, I don't think I am making or is allowed to make a real impact,” she added.
Horne pointed out that she witnessed persistent issues that, in her view, have hindered the growth and development of football in the islands. The first of those issues, she said, surfaced when Spring sought outside counsel from Mr Venold Coombs, who was even invited to attend executive meetings.
She explained that though the president’s decision was met with rejection, he maintained that Coombs would serve as his personal advisor.
“Now, while I have no personal problems with Mr Coombs, in my humble opinion, a relationship of the sort seems reckless until clarity is given by/from the relevant authority about his permitted level of involvement in the administration of football," said Horne, who was the Chairperson of Match Commissioner, venue coordinator, and
field accreditation committee.
She continued: “Then there was segregation within the Council, the setting up of an executive within the executive, labelling it as an Emergency Committee, as opposed to simply having emergency meetings. Some council decisions were made without an invitation for all council members to part-take. My objections to this were futile and are made to seem conscientious with the addition of a fifth council member; even that in itself is another issue.
“The misrepresentation of the discussions held and agreements made at meetings is written as Council Minutes. Statements without context and paddings of unheard discussions comprise these legal documents, not to mention proclamations passed as decisions made.”
That said, Horne pointed to a lack of transparency and inefficient communication from the federation's hierarchy, leaving council members oblivious to the organization’s true financial standing, among other things.
“One may expect council members to know the financial status of the organization, but secrecy seems to be the order of the real powers that be. To date, only one monthly financial report has been shared with the entire executive council, yet extraordinary meetings are called to make decisions with great financial implications,” she argued.
“Communication is the icing on top of the cake. Internally, there seems to be a rationing of information on a 'need to know' basis. In attempts to question things so I could have clarity and understanding, too many of the things asked were left without answers or given partial responses. Information is received after the fact or from alternative sources (thank you to the many grapevines out there). The lack of trust is felt, but it goes both ways,” Horne said, adding that she will continue to lend her support and knowledge when and where possible.
Slot given something to think about ahead of Brighton rematch on Saturday
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said that the players he gave gametime to in their 3-2 victory over Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek gave him something to think about ahead of their league meeting with the same opposition this weekend.
“I really liked what I saw from players who haven’t played much so far this season. That makes it even harder for me to make line ups in the upcoming weeks,” he told The Mirror.
Cody Gakpo scored a brace in midweek and is now pushing for what would be only his third league start of the season.
“In the second half of last season Cody scored a lot of goals so he’s been a good player for Liverpool for a long time now. He continues doing that and that’s a good thing.
“For me, he is a regular starter. Not starting every game, but he’s started on a regular basis. There is tough competition with Luis Diaz.
"It’s normal at a club like Liverpool to have two quality players for every position. If you look at Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah, who was unlucky with the goals we conceded, their overall performances I liked and they are in competition with Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate].
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Joao Pedro is back in first-team training and could play a part, while Matt O'Riley is also on the road to recovery after an injury nine minutes into his debut.
"We have to see – he [Joao Pedro] is coming back after a long injury – if he will be an option, but he is back in training," he told a pre-match press conference.
"Matt O’Riley is back in training. We have to see when he will be ready for potential playing in the squad."
Hurzeler also expressed excitement about his first experience of managing at Anfield, although stopped short of fawning over the thought of it.
"It is not on my bucket list to manage there but it will be a great experience, for sure. I am really looking forward to the atmosphere there," he said.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Liverpool - Mohamed Salah
Salah has been Liverpool's most effective player in the final third this season with 11 goal contributions (six goals, five assists). He is their top scorer and tied fifth among the league's top goalscorers.
He has scored nine Premier League goals against Brighton in total, including three in his last two meetings.
Brighton - Danny Welbeck
Like Salah, Welbeck has also scored six league goals so far this season and is his team's top scorer.
The 33-year-old has scored three goals in his last three league appearances and four in his last five. Notably, he also scored against Liverpool at Anfield in their previous league meeting last March.
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to six league games (W4 D1) as they meet Brighton on Saturday, having drawn 2-2 away to Arsenal last weekend.
They are currently second in the Premier League on 22 points after nine matches, one point behind leaders Manchester City.
They have won seven of their nine Premier League games under Arne Slot so far (D1 L1). Victory here would see him pick up the most victories by a Liverpool manager in their first 10 top-flight games in charge of the club.
Liverpool have an impressive home record so far this season (W3 L1), while they also have the best-performing defence in the league with just five goals conceded.
Brighton were beaten 3-2 by Liverpool in midweek, albeit with both sides having much-rotated XIs in the EFL Cup fourth round, and will have their work cut out on Saturday.
They travel to Anfield with two away victories out of four in the league (D1 L1), although the games they failed to win came against Arsenal and Chelsea.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Liverpool - 64.1%
Draw - 18.6%
Brighton - 17.2%
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