Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that Arsenal are still struggling to get key players back to fitness ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Captain Martin Odegaard made his first start since August in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea prior to the international break, having suffered an injury with Norway in September, but his side are struggling elsewhere.

Both Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were substituted in the second half of that match with injuries and subsequently pulled out of the England squad.

"We are still missing a lot and some of the guys out there are not in the best condition," Arteta told BBC Sport.

"That is all we are asking, that they are fit and available and in the physical condition to play at this level. We have not had any of that.

"It was patch, after patch, after patch. A lot of players starting and not in the condition to finish games, so that is what I am praying for."

Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, insists his side will take lessons into this weekend from their 3-1 defeat against Newcastle last time out.

"When you lose and win there is always a lesson to be learnt. We must learn an important lesson, we have been punished the way we have been punishing other teams," he said.

Despite the loss, Nottingham Forest are still fifth in the Premier League table after 11 matches, level on points with Arsenal. Nuno himself was also named September's Manager of the Month.

"Even though we lost the game, everyone at Forest should be proud of the players and how we have been working together. OK, let’s go again," he said.

"I’m just proud from day one of the way we have been working as a team."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

No player has supplied more assists in the Premier League than Saka (seven), with Mohamed Salah trailing by one.

The winger has also scored three goals for the Gunners and is one behind Kai Havertz as the club's leading scorer.

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood

Wood is equal-second alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Salah in the Premier League scoring charts with eight goals.

The 32-year-old has opened the scoring on six occasions in the league this season, while he has the best conversion rate (38.1%) of any player to have made more than 10 appearances.

MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal are currently in fourth place, one position above their weekend opponents Nottingham Forest.

They are unbeaten in eight home games in all competitions so far this season (W6 D2), including in their five home games in the league (W3 D2).

The Gunners have won six of their last seven Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, including back-to-back victories last season.

The visitors come into this on the back of a 3-1 defeat at home to Newcastle last time out, which ended a four-match unbeaten run.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 67.1%

Draw – 18.8%

Nottingham Forest – 14.1%

Edu will spend the next six months on gardening leave, while assistant sporting director Jason Ayto will take up his role during the search for a full-time replacement.

The news comes after the announcement earlier in the week that Edu was to leave Arsenal to work with Evangelos Marinakis' multi-club group, which includes Nottingham Forest.

The Gunners are giving themselves a long window to replace their sporting director and are prepared to wait for the right candidate.

Despite his abrupt departure partway through the season, the feeling towards Edu is of gratitude after installing a robust structure that the club can now work with.

The Brazilian is known to be a friend of Marinakis, who values the esteem in which Edu is held by his peers.

The salary offered to him for his move, as reported by Sky Sports News, would mean only Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery earn more than him among Premier League managers.

The role itself, meanwhile, will see Edu act as the CEO of the group.

Declan Rice will miss Arsenal's Champions League match at Inter through injury but Mikel Arteta is hopeful of having Martin Odegaard available after two months on the sidelines.

Rice has not travelled to Milan after picking up an injury during Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.

The England international will now undergo further tests to determine his availability for Sunday's London derby at Chelsea.

"Declan unfortunately picked up an injury against Newcastle. He was able to finish and he wasn't feeling good the last few days," Arteta told a press conference.

"We'll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he's ready for Chelsea."

Meanwhile, Arteta will wait to see if Odegaard can feature at San Siro after recovering from an ankle injury he suffered while on international duty with Norway in September.

"The positive news, Martin, it's great to have him back," the Spaniard said.

"He trained with us first time today. He's a bit earlier than expected. But it's great to have him here and we will decide if we use him tomorrow."

Both Arsenal and Inter have seven points apiece after three Champions League games.

Arteta's side will look to restore morale after a three-game winless streak in the Premier League, in what will be the team's first game after sporting director Edu surprisingly announced his departure.

"Everything happened very quickly. I loved working with him, I really enjoyed being alongside him in this incredible journey. I'm very grateful for everything he's done for me and the club," Arteta said about the Brazilian.

"He's had an amazing opportunity now to do something else in a different role. He feels that's best for him. We have to respect that. From the bottom of my heart I wish the best for him.

"We have a very strong leadership team and we're not going to stop right now. The passion to fulfil this journey is not going to stop. That means opportunities for someone else. We say thank you and we have to move on."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says that it is up to young midfielder Ethan Nwaneri to dictate how quickly he will become a regular in their first team.

That was after the 17-year-old midfielder played a starring role in his side's 3-0 victory away to Preston North End in the last 16 of the EFL Cup, curling in a wonderful effort for the second.

Nwaneri scored his first senior goals with a brace in the 5-1 win over League One Bolton in the previous round and looked in great shape again on Wednesday.

"He's a big talent, he's got the right attitude and he's got the right players and context around him," Arteta told BBC Sport.

"We need to make sure that we build brick by brick in the right tempo, in the right order, but we have some player there."

Nwaneri has already made four substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, having come off the bench against Tottenham, Leicester, Bournemouth and Liverpool.

In September 2022, meanwhile, he became the youngest player in history to feature in the Premier League after coming off the bench against Brentford at just 15 years and 181 days.

According to his manager, the pace of his further development will be down to him.

"He's going to really dictate how fast that's going to go, but I'm really happy with him," Arteta added.

"There's so much personality there. He wants to impose himself, he wants every ball, he wants to make things happen.

"He's very respectful, his work ethic is tremendous and he loves what he does, you can tell that. I think he is showing every day what he is capable of.

“You see his team-mates, they are giving him the ball all the time, that's a great sign. So we have some player there."

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are not "feeling sorry" for themselves ahead of welcoming Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium, despite their depleted squad.

Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, who went off in their Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, are all injury doubts for this match, while Martin Odegaard is also unavailable.

Arteta also has to contend with a suspension, with William Saliba out after being sent off against Bournemouth in Arsenal's 2-0 defeat last weekend.

The Gunners have a worrying record without the Frenchman in their starting line-up; he has missed just 11 games since his debut in 2022, with Arsenal boasting a 74%-win rate with him in the side compared to just 45.5% without him.

Arsenal are, however, in good form against Liverpool at home, winning their last two such Premier League matches, and Arteta is upbeat ahead of their latest clash against the Reds.

"This is the game. We obviously don't want to be in this situation, but we are lucky to have the squad we have and the attitude to react to difficult situations," Arteta said.

"We don't feel sorry for ourselves, we face it, and we know how good we are.

"We have different options [in defence]. That partnership [between William Saliba and Gabriel] has been very stable but we have to find a solution.

"[There's] so much going on with the backline, but we have had to adapt to that and the versatile players have been really useful.

"We had a day off after the Champions League and two days to prepare the game. This is a big match, a big opportunity, and we love these kind of matches at the Emirates. The team is really looking forward to it.

"We have to maintain playing with dominance and belief. Our belief, energy and commitment is needed in a big match like this."

Liverpool sit top of the table going into the weekend's fixtures having lost just one of their 12 matches under Arne Slot so far. Arsenal are currently four points adrift of the pacesetters, who could sit second by kick-off if Manchester City beat Southampton.

Arteta was full of praise for the work Slot has done since moving to Merseyside, but brushed off the idea that this game was his biggest test as Arsenal boss so far.

"Arne Slot's start has been very good. They are in a really great moment and run. They're a team who, for nine years, have been competing at the highest level.

"We have had very difficult and challenging moments, but I don't think this is one of them. We are so energised; the atmosphere will be tremendous, and we are really looking forward to the game.

"I never think about losing. I don't spend one second on the preparation thinking about if we lose it. It is just very bad luck [with the injuries].

"They are difficult issues and traumatic injuries. International ones are difficult to control. It can happen, but it is about how we can react to it and change it. The team have to mentally adapt to that and maintain the belief that even with the team like this, we are still a great team."

Two of this season's title challengers go head-to-head in this weekend's headline Premier League clash as league leaders Liverpool travel to Arsenal.

The Gunners are looking to put things right after suffering a shock 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth last time out in the competition, putting them on the back foot in the race for top spot already.

And they face a Liverpool side that are flying high under Arne Slot, who passed his first 'real' Premier League test on Merseyside by seeing off high-flying Chelsea last week.

The Dutchman has overseen a seamless transition after taking over from Jurgen Klopp and is the first manager to win as many as 11 of his first 12 games in charge across all competitions in English top-flight history.

They now face off in what both managers will deem a must-win after both posting scrappy 1-0 victories in the Champions League in midweek, over Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig respectively.

Here, using Opta data, we delve into the key insights ahead of Sunday's clash at the Emirates.

What's expected?

Arsenal have won their last two Premier League home games against Liverpool and are looking to win three on the bounce for the first time since a run of four between 2004 and 2006.

In fact, the Gunners are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games against Liverpool (two wins, two draws), taking more points from those four games (eight) than they had in their previous 14 against the Reds (seven – one win, four draws, nine losses).

Arsenal have also lost just twice in the Premier League in 2024 (21 wins, three draws), though they are hoping to avoid losing back-to-back games in the competition for the first time since December 2023.

Despite their recent result, Arsenal are still tipped as slight favourites in this tie, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 41.3% chance of victory.

Liverpool, however, come out on top in 32.3% of the simulations, with a draw potentially on the cards at 26.5%.

While the Reds have not beaten Arsenal since March 2022 in the Premier League – a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino – they did win at the Emirates earlier this year by the same scoreline in the FA Cup third round.

And one thing you can almost guarantee for Liverpool in this tie is goals. They have not failed to score in any of their last 17 Premier League meetings with Arsenal since a 0-0 draw back in August 2015.

Arteta struggling for balance

Mikel Arteta will be hoping that Arsenal's defeat to Bournemouth was nothing more than a blip come the end of the season, but there were worrying signs for the Spaniard, especially before one of their biggest games.

The Gunners' downfall on the south coast was of their own making as they were undone by a set-piece before David Raya gave away a penalty that secured their fate, all after another first-half sending-off.

William Saliba was given his marching orders in the 30th minute, Arsenal's third of the Premier League campaign already. Another one against Liverpool would equal an unwanted record for the most dismissals after nine matches of a single season in the competition – done twice by the Reds and once by Leicester City and Sunderland.

Saliba had played every Premier League minute since the start of last season before his red card. Since his debut, Arsenal have a 74% win rate and concede an average of 0.8 goals per game with him in the team, but that drops to 45% and 1.6 conceded per game without him.

And it has given Arteta a dilemma, as he is expected to be light on defenders due to Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber's injuries. They may also be without Bukayo Saka again, but even if the England international does miss out, Arteta has plenty of firepower available.

They have scored 15 goals in the Premier League this season, the same as Sunday's opponents, while only Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have netted more than them.

And Gabriel Martinelli loves playing against Liverpool – he has been involved in more goals against them in all competitions than he has against any other side (seven – five goals, two assists). Four of those five goals have put Arsenal in the lead in the match, including all three such Premier League strikes.

For Arteta, this game will be all about trying to find the right balance, though his main aim will be trying to keep all 11 of his men on the field until the final whistle.

Standing strong at the back

Much has already been made about Slot's start in the Liverpool dugout, but a result against one of last season's top two will still go a long way to silencing the last of his doubters.

The Dutchman's only blot on his record was their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield, but their away record has so far been perfect. They are just the seventh top-flight English side to win each of their opening six away games across all competitions in a season.

In fact, they are the third team to do so in the Premier League era, after Newcastle in 1994-95 and Manchester City in 2017-18.

Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz are sitting towards the top of the goalscoring charts, benefitting from Slot's free-flowing style of play, but it is their defensive stability that has made them tough to beat.

Liverpool have conceded fewer goals than any other team in the Premier League this season (three), while they also have the lowest xG against total (6.2).

Their three goals conceded are also their joint-fewest after eight games of a league campaign in club history (also three in 1978-79 and 2018-19).

And while there were some questions about how well Liverpool would cope without Alisson in goal, those issues look to have been eased too. In their Champions League win over Leipzig on Wednesday, Caoimhin Kelleher made six saves.

Indeed, his 16 saves this season have a goals-prevented value of 3.0, just above the Brazilian's 2.6 in 2024-25, so Slot's solid foundation should prove a real test for the Gunners.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz has scored in each of his last five Premier League appearances at the Emirates Stadium.

The only Arsenal player to score in more successive home appearances in the competition is Thierry Henry, who has done so twice (six from March to August 2000 and seven from May to October 2004).

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Salah has five goals and five assists in the Premier League this season - with just eight games played, this is the earliest into a season a Liverpool player has both scored five or more goals and assisted five or more goals in the competition.

He has also scored and assisted in 34 different matches in the Premier League: the second-most of any player in the competition's history, only behind Wayne Rooney (36).

Mikel Arteta showered praise on his Arsenal players after their 3-1 victory against Southampton, saying his squad will "always find a way" to win.

The Gunners bounced back from Cameron Archer's opener to earn their 400th Premier League home win on Saturday, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on target. 

Arsenal enter the international break in third, hot on the heels of leaders Liverpool and level on points with Manchester City. 

They also continued their impressive record against Southampton, extending their unbeaten run against them in the top flight to 25 matches (W17 D8), but the hosts were made to work for the win. 

Arteta's side registered 14 shots in the first half with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.15, though their only shot on target came in stoppage time courtesy of Thomas Partey. 

The introduction of Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino prompted an improvement in attack shortly after Havertz's leveller.

"The start was exceptional, the dominance, the chances. It was unbelievable not to go one, two, three goals up," Arteta said. 

"We conceded the goal, and then it was game on.

"I thought the team reacted with a lot of authority, and I am happy the team can react like this - but not happy after the chances we had that we had to go through that.

"The substitutes changed the energy and also the feel in the crowd. We won in the end and I think we deserved it. This team always finds a way.

"The way we started was phenomenal, but we didn't get our reward. We had a difficult context at 1-0 but we did it."

Arteta also lauded Saka's performance after the England international took his goal involvement tally to nine for the season with his strike coming after two assists.

This campaign, only Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer (10 each) have been involved in more goals than Saka. 

The 23-year-old has also taken on the role of captain in Martin Odegaard's absence, something Arteta believes Saka is embracing. 

"For sure. That's the maturity and steps players have to do. He's been in the team long enough to earn the right to have that role. He believes in that," Arteta said. 

"He has the capacity to change and decide games like many other players. If we want to be at the top, sometimes players have to create those moments, and he's certainly done that again today."

Southampton, meanwhile, are now without a win in their last 20 Premier League matches, equalling their longest top-flight winless run (a run of 20 between August and December in 1969).

But they had their moments to level the contest, with Tyler Dibling's deflected effort and Taylor Harwood-Bellis' header striking the woodwork prior to Saka's settler.

"I feel so much more positive and proud of my team than I did on Monday [after a 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth], and we played against one of the best teams in the country," Russell Martin told BBC Sport.

"If we play like that in the next block of games, I'd be very happy. I think we're learning and growing, and we're on a journey. But we're doing it under huge scrutiny and the intensity of the Premier League.

"I have to keep the guys on track and on path. There's a lot to be frustrated about, we don't have enough points on the board and a win yet, but I loved all of our resilience."

Bukayo Saka believes this is Arsenal's year to end Manchester City's reign over the Premier League, ahead of winless Southampton visiting the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Arsenal and City are the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League after six matchdays, with both taking 14 points to trail Liverpool by a single point at the summit.

Mikel Arteta's team secured a thrilling 4-2 win over Leicester City last week before seeing off Paris Saint-Germain by a 2-0 scoreline in the Champions League on Tuesday.

With many tipping Arsenal to again challenge City, particularly after the champions lost midfielder Rodri to a serious knee injury, Saka believes the Gunners have a golden opportunity.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year," Saka told CBS Sports after the win over PSG.

"I think we've been close the last two years and we're getting closer but this hopefully will be the year."

Speaking to Amazon Prime, the 23-year-old later added: "Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot.

"With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team. I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when teams are coming to the Emirates."

Southampton have taken just one point from six league games since winning promotion from the Championship, making this the joint-worst start to any league campaign in their history (also one point in the top flight in 1998-99).

They were beaten 3-1 by south coast rivals Bournemouth last time out on Monday, leading defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis to slam their performance levels.

"I think it's just about taking ownership as players, doing your bit and not going inside yourself, not playing a solo game," he said.

"It's just about sticking together... we cannot be 3-0 down with the quality and characters we've got in that group, we cannot be. That's obviously including myself."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Arsenal – Kai Havertz

One player who has particularly enjoyed turning out at the Emirates lately is Havertz, who netted against PSG on Tuesday and has also scored six goals in his last six league games on the ground. 

He has netted in four successive home Premier League games, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the last player to score in five straight for the Gunners, in September 2019.

Southampton – Aaron Ramsdale 

Former Gunners shot-stopper Ramsdale could become the ninth goalkeeper to face Arsenal in the Premier League after previously representing them in the competition.

Only one of the previous eight, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, has previously kept a clean sheet in his first such match, doing so in a 3-0 victory at the Emirates in November 2020.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Southampton have actually caused Arsenal problems lately, going unbeaten through the teams' last three Premier League meetings (one win, two draws), with both of their matches in 2022-23 finishing level – including a 3-3 draw at the Emirates.

However, Saints have visited Arsenal 24 times in the Premier League without ever tasting victory, drawing eight times and losing 16. That is the most any team has visited another in the competition without winning.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 28 home league games against Southampton since a 1-0 defeat in November 1987. Only against Fulham (a current run of 31) have they had a longer unbeaten home run in their league history.

Across 2024-25 and their relegation season in 2022-23, Southampton are now winless in 19 Premier League matches, drawing five and losing 14. Only once in their top-flight history have they endured a longer such run, going 20 games without a victory between August and December 1969.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 40 Premier League home games against promoted clubs, winning 35 and drawing five. Only Chelsea (43 between 2001 and 2015) and City (41 between 2007 and 2020) have had longer such runs in the competition's history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 78.5%

Southampton – 8.7% 

Draw – 12.8% 

Mikel Arteta insists the title fight between Arsenal and Manchester City will not affect his relationship with Pep Guardiola.

The sides played out a dramatic 2-2 draw in the Premier League last Sunday, with City snatching a last-gasp equaliser after 10-man Arsenal had staunchly defended throughout the second half.

Leandro Trossard was dismissed at the end of the first half, receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, and Arsenal were accused of using the "dark arts" in their attempts to come away with three points.

The Gunners spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday's match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.

Meanwhile, the average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term.

Multiple City players have since criticised the tactics, with arguments also taking place on the pitch, but Arteta says his friendship with Guardiola would not suffer because of any on-pitch disagreements.

"I love him [Guardiola]. I respect him and admire him. I admire his team and everything he does," Arteta said.

"This is sport. One thing is our professional, another is my personal relationship. If that has to be damaged because we play against each other, then I wouldn't talk to him anymore!

"That's not the relationship I consider both of us have. Sport will never get in my way for a personal relationship, for sure."

Asked if the accusations aimed at Arsenal could affect it, Arteta added: "It depends. If it's true, but if it's not, and you show your integrity, do what you think is right, it doesn't have to.

"It's opinions. If you don't like them, you shouldn't be sitting where I am.

"It's simple, don't take it personally, make sure you handle the things you care about in the right way, and I really care about that relationship. It's the same as a lot of staff and players I've spent very important years of my life working with."

Arsenal are back in action against Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday. 

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s fixation on rectifying their near-miss in the Premier League last season is the difference for his players this time around.

After battling to a 2-2 draw against Manchester City last Sunday, the Gunners booked their place in the EFL Cup fourth round with an emphatic win over Bolton Wanderers, with several of their emerging talent starring at the Emirates.

Ethan Nwaneri and Jack Porter stole the limelight in midweek, with the former grabbing two goals on his senior Arsenal start, with Arteta also giving four more teenagers the chance to shine against the League One outfit.

But speaking ahead of this weekend’s fixture against Leicester, the Arsenal head coach believes his squad’s hunger to achieve this season is the difference when looking at the previous groups he has managed for the Gunners.

“Well, I think it’s the time in your career, you know that you start to dream, or to pursue certain objectives, targets and when you have accomplished them you want something else,” Arteta said.

“At that moment if the team, the club cannot provide that you need to do it elsewhere, it’s something natural, I think.

“I have all kinds of dreams, but it’s a nice one to have it’s a positive. What is a reality of a dream is the team I have that I have to manage.”

Leicester, meanwhile, needed penalties to ensure their progression in the EFL Cup against Walsall on Tuesday, with Danny Ward saving all three of the hosts’ spot-kicks.

While progressing to the next round, the travelling Foxes faithful made their opinions heard at the end of the contest, and their players face an almighty task of getting their first three points on the board at the Emirates on Saturday.

The Leicester head coach acknowledged the enormity of the task at hand, explaining he has lofty ambitions of his side reaching the level that was on show when the Gunners faced Pep Guardiola’s side last Sunday.

"It was an intriguing game for sure. They've played another game since, watched the game closely last night against Bolton Wanderers,” Cooper said.

“Our focus is on us, so we've got to do everything really well in the game.

“This is the level we want to be at, these are the games we want to be playing but we want to be playing them with the right attitude, with the right mentality, like I said, with the ambition of being able to succeed and If we can get the result that we're craving for then there's no better time."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Raheem Sterling

After marking his first start for Arsenal with a goal in the EFL Cup in midweek, Sterling will be pushing for a start against an opponent he has flourished against in recent years.

The 29-year-old has netted a brace in his last two Premier League appearances against the Foxes, one with Man City (December 2021) and one with Chelsea (August 2022).

Only three players have scored multiple goals against an opponent in a Premier League match with three different clubs – Robbie Fowler vs Bolton (Liverpool, Leeds, Man City), Darren Bent vs Bolton (Charlton, Tottenham, Sunderland) and Andrew Cole vs West Ham (Newcastle, Man Utd, Man City).

Leicester – Jamie Vardy

Vardy has started the season with two goals in five appearances, moving him eight goals away from scoring 200 goals for Leicester in all competitions.

But during his time in the Premier League, he has often loved coming against the Gunners. The veteran striker has scored 11 goals in 16 games against Arsenal, the joint-most he has netted against a single club in the competition alongside Watford.

MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal boasts an impressive record against this weekend’s opponents, winning their last five Premier League games against Leicester, their joint-longest winning run against the Foxes in their league history (also five between 1908 and 1914 and between 1930 and 1932).

The Gunners have also won 16 of their last 17 Premier League games against promoted sides, with the exception being a 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in May 2023. At home, the Gunners are unbeaten in 39 such games (W34 D5) since a 1-0 loss to Newcastle in November 2010.

But Arteta will be hoping for cooler heads upon their return to the Emirates. Arsenal have received six cards (four yellow and two second yellow) for either time-wasting or not retreating in the Premier League this season, two more than any other club.

Leicester, meanwhile, travel to the capital in hopes of improving their record in North London. The Foxes have won just one of their last 26 away league games against Arsenal (D4 L21), picking up a 1-0 victory in October 2020.

But since their return to the division, they have shown little signs that may change. Cooper’s side remain winless in their five Premier League games so far this season, drawing three and losing two. Only in their relegation campaign of 2022-23 have they gone six without a win from the start of the campaign in the competition.

But the Foxes have both scored and conceded in all five of their league games so far this season – only in their title winning campaign of 2015-16 have they had a longer such run from the start of a campaign in the competition (first nine).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 75.9%

Draw – 14.5%

Leicester – 9.6%

Ethan Nwaneri marked his first Arsenal start with a double as the Gunners swept aside League One side Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the third round of the EFL Cup. 

While Nwaneri was one of the youngsters included in a line-up that featured 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter, it was one of Arsenal's senior players that opened the scoring at Emirates Stadium, with Declan Rice curling in from the edge of the area.

The Gunners doubled their advantage eight minutes before the break, with Nwaneri sliding home to net his first senior Arsenal goal after being found by Raheem Sterling.

Nwaneri netted his second of the contest soon after the restart, with the youngster capitalising on a mistake by Chris Forino before squeezing the ball under Luke Southwood. 

Mikel Arteta's side were however undone by a free-flowing counter-attack from the visitors as Aaron Collins raced clear, rounded Porter and coolly slotted home to give the travelling fans something to cheer.

But their celebrations were short-lived, with Sterling scoring his first Arsenal goal before substitute Kai Havertz rounded off the rout.

Data Debrief: A nod to the future

Prior to this game, Nwaneri had made just three appearances for Arsenal, but this performance showed that his future is bright.

The 17-year-old scored with both of his shots on target, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.67 to the Gunners' 2.95 total, with only Sterling (0.85) managing more. 

In his club career, Sterling has now started a game alongside players born 30 years apart – Jamie Carragher in 2012-13 (born January 1978) and Porter (born July 2008) – before he has turned 30 himself, and he will be delighted to have opened his Gunners account.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is focusing on returning to action as soon as possible and feels fortunate his injury is not worse than it is.

Odegaard injured his ankle while on Norway duty two weeks ago and has missed Arsenal's three matches since, including Wednesday's EFL Cup tie with Bolton Wanderers.

Mikel Arteta confirmed this week that the midfielder will be "out for a while", but no timeframe has been given for his recovery.

Addressing his lay-off for the first time, Odegaard admits he was scared by the severity of the damage when first sustaining the injury.

"It was a bad twist to my ankle, and I damaged some ligaments there, but it’s part of football and now I'm just trying to recover as quickly as I can," he wrote in his programme notes for the Bolton tie.

"I'm moving forward, making progress and I'm feeling more positive every day. I'm  working hard and my only thought is to get back as soon as possible.

"I'm at the Sobha Realty Training Centre basically every day now, working hard and doing everything I can do to get better.

"I have to be careful not to push it too much, but at the same time do what I can to make sure I come back as strongly and quickly as possible. 

"I'm trying to support the team in a different way now, if I can't be on the pitch. That's my situation, and I have to make the best out of it.

"It's something I’m not used to. I've been quite fortunate, if that’s the word, or have done well to avoid injuries in the past, but this is football and I have to get on with it. 

"I think it was unfortunate to get the injury in the way that I did, but also it could have been worse. It was not a nice twist, and when it happened I felt it could be serious. 

"I've injured my ankle before and the pain felt a bit different this time. That's what scared me, but from what happened it could have been worse, so in that sense I got away with it a bit."

Odegaard started his side's opening three Premier League games and, while he has yet to register a goal or assist, he proved influential with five chances created - a tally only Bukayo Saka (eight) could better among Arsenal players.

Reports suggest the former Real Madrid player could return to action after the October international break, but the 25-year-old is himself still unsure how long he will be out.

"Like any player, the first thing I asked the medical team was how long I would be out for, but it's a bit tricky to say at the moment," he said. 

"In the early stages, it's crucial to get a proper rest and to make sure everything heals well. After that it’s about getting stronger and building it up again."

Arsenal follow up their EFL Cup third-round tie against Bolton with home games against Leicester City and Southampton in the Premier League, plus Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, prior to the international break.

Mikel Arteta joked he has told Arsenal's players to "play without the ball" after seeing Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard sent off for delaying restarts in recent weeks.

Arsenal were moments away from a famous win over Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday despite playing over half the game with 10 men, after Trossard received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.

However, John Stones' 98th-minute equaliser broke their resistance as they drew for the second time this term, having also drawn 1-1 with Brighton when Declan Rice saw red over a similar incident.

Arsenal's use of the "dark arts" has come in for criticism in the last few days, but Arteta has not warned his players against employing similar tactics in the future.

Asked if he had taken steps to avoid seeing another player dismissed for kicking the ball away, he said: "For passing the ball, you mean? 

"Just leave the ball. Don't touch the ball. We will play without the ball."

Asked if he had any new thoughts on Trossard's sending off, he said: "I reflected post-match, it's the same reflection today. It's the same answer. I was very clear about it."

Arsenal spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday's match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season. 

Meanwhile, the average delay at Arsenal restarts (goal-kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks) was 42.7 seconds, with only Aston Villa versus Wolves (47.3) taking longer this term. The Gunners' average delay time of 41.1 seconds against Brighton is third on that list.

Arteta, though, insists his team had no choice but to play that way when a man down, rejecting assertions that Arsenal push the limits more than any other side.

"I always prefer facts rather than words, so let's see who's available tomorrow and then we can talk about dark arts or these things," he said.

"We had to play the game that we had to play. In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we couldn't, then we got much better. 

"We were thrown into a very different context. Every team does it. They played 30 seconds with 10 men, you look at what they did. We had to do it in a different way.

"We learned from the past as well because unfortunately we've been in that situation with them three times very recently. I would be very thick if we didn't learn from it."

Arsenal host Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, before taking on Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta confirmed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will be out "for a while" after suffering a significant ankle injury while playing for Norway.

The 25-year-old hobbled off during his country's Nations League 2-1 win over Austria in Oslo on September 9 and returned to London on crutches.

Odegaard missed Sunday's 1-0 derby victory against Tottenham and Arteta revealed the bad news on the midfielder ahead of Arsenal's opening Champions League game away to Atalanta.

"The scans showed that he's got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle," the Arsenal manager said on Wednesday.

"It's something quite significant so we're going to lose him for a while."

Arteta, whose side are second in the league and two points behind Manchester City, said he hoped it would not be months "but let's see".

Odegaard has become a key player for Arsenal, missing only a handful of games over the last three seasons, and a lengthy absence will come as a huge blow.

"He's our captain. He's been one of the biggest and best players in our team," continued Arteta.

"Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It's a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face."

Norway coach Stale Solbakken told VG newspaper he had been fully updated about the injury and was "preparing for a life without Martin".

"We have to take it week by week and day by day. Some types of damage go faster and some go slower," he said.

Jorginho has said the form of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is making him and his Arsenal team-mates laugh ahead of next weekend's meeting.

Haaland netted two more goals for City in Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium to maintain his side's perfect start.

That took the striker to nine goals across City's first four Premier League games this season - the most any player has scored in the competition's history at this stage.

Arsenal are the next side tasked with attempting to keep Haaland quiet in next weekend's showdown between the division's top-two sides.

Despite Haaland's superb form to begin the campaign, Jorginho insists Arsenal are unfazed heading into Sunday's battle in Manchester.

"Erling scoring again... it is starting to make us laugh," he said. "We look because we watch all the games and we love the Premier League.

"We watch [City] as well, which is normal. It doesn't get to our head. We need to focus on us and that is what we are trying to do."

Last season's runners-up Arsenal are two points behind early pacesetters City after winning three and drawing one of their opening four matches.

Mikel Arteta's men managed to grind out a 1-0 win in their North London derby with Tottenham at the weekend thanks to a Gabriel header.

Arsenal were without key midfield pair Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, owing to suspension and injury respectively, but still got the job done.

"You learn more about each other," said Jorginho, who replaced Rice in midfield. "Everyone wants to improve and wants the best for the team. 

"When you put the team in first place I think just good things can happen. Keep believing in what you are doing. I think we are on the right way."

Arsenal travel to Atalanta for their opening Champions League game on Thursday, but one eye is undoubtedly on the trip to City three days later.

"If you want to achieve big things you need to have the mentality of trying to win every single game," Jorginho said. 

"That is what we need to do and that is what we want to do. That is what we are trying to do. You need to keep in this way. 

"Keep believing in what you're doing. We are believing in what we are doing and we keep working hard to improve on what we need to improve."