Arsenal

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Bukayo Saka has returned to first team training ahead of today's clash against Manchester City.

The Arsenal attacker has been missing since coming off in the second half of a 5-0 win over Leeds on 23 August with a hamstring injury.

But Saka has now returned to full training to provide Mikel Arteta with a key boost ahead of the game against Pep Guardiola's team this afternoon.

Early indications are that Saka could be available for selection in today's match day squad.

Captain Martin Odegaard, who came off in last weekend's friendly win over Nottingham Forest after falling awkwardly, has also stepped up his training but it remains to be seen if he is available today with sources insisting the midfielder may not be ready.

I'm very sure about this one - Arsenal to win.

Manchester City played well in the derby, but they were up against a poor Manchester United team and Arsenal are on a different level.

They will rough City up and I can see Erling Haaland being bullied out of it. I'm not going to make him captain of my Fantasy team this week.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Two title hopefuls meet at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to continue their recent excellent record against rivals Manchester City. BBC Sport takes a look at the key talking points going into Sunday's game.

After a run of just two wins in 22 Premier League matches against City, the Gunners have mastered how to rattle Pep Guardiola's side of late, with two wins at the Emirates and two away draws in their past four encounters.

After thrashing them 5-1 in February, Arsenal now have the chance to secure back-to-back top-flight wins over City for the first time since December 2015.

The Gunners continued their strong start to the season with a hard-fought Champions League win at Athletic Club on Tuesday. To highlight their increased squad strength, five of their eight new summer signings started, while the two goals came from substitutes of the calibre of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

Joining them on the bench in Bilbao were the likes of William Saliba, Christian Norgaard, Miles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. "The 'finishers' are going to be more important this season sometimes than the starters," Arteta says of the impact he hopes his substitutes will have. "We can change the game there, especially with the intensity that we play and teams start to drop off."

An enlarged squad naturally gives Arteta a headache of who to select and one of the key areas he will be keen to address is a perceived lack of creativity in big games. This was again exposed in their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool last month, during which they mustered just one shot on target.

Manchester City came through their reunion with Kevin de Bruyne and his Napoli side unscathed.

The next challenge for Guardiola is to rectify their poor form against Arsenal.

He has never gone five games without a top-flight league win against an opponent, while his protegee Arteta could also become the first manager to go five league matches unbeaten against Guardiola.

Another thing that needs addressing is City's form post European fixtures.

They have lost five of their past seven matches that have immediately followed a midweek Champions League match, including their 5-1 hammering at the Emirates last season.

Their previous five such defeats came over a period of 46 games across five years.

The Gunners, who played on Tuesday, have also had two days extra rest on City.

With four goals in six Premier League appearances against Arsenal, City will again look towards talisman Erling Haaland for inspiration, especially given how well he has begun the season for club and country.

"Erling has been incredible since the start, but this season he is better than ever," Guardiola said last week. "I would say better than the Treble year [2022-23]."

Against Napoli, he scored his 50th goal on his 49th Champions League appearance, reaching the milestone in at least 13 appearances fewer than any other player in the competition's history.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney says it is time for Arsenal to take the next step as they prepare to host Manchester City on Sunday.

The Gunners have finished second in the table for the past three seasons and Rooney believes boss Mikel Arteta's future depends on success this season.

"I think it's now or never for Arteta being honest," Rooney told The Wayne Rooney Show.

"He has to win something major this season, in my opinion, because he has spent a lot of money, brought a lot of players in and he's probably got the best squad in the league. At least the most balanced squad and players for each position."

Under Arteta, Arsenal won the FA Cup in August 2020 but they have not added a major trophy since then.

"I think it's big pressure for him now to win the league and I think Arsenal have given him everything they can to go and do it.

"So I think it's on him the players to go and try and win that."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester City at Emirates Stadium (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Arteta said there is a chance Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are available but they will need to be assessed after Saturday's training session as they have not yet trained with the team.

• Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres both suffered head injuries in Tuesday's Champions League win over Athletic Club but "are fine" to play.

• Meanwhile, defender William Saliba "is really pushing" to return to the matchday line-up but a final decision will be made on Saturday.

• On whether he views this as a big game for the title race: "It's about winning again and creating another good consistent moment for us. We are competing against one of the best teams in the world. It's a good test to see our level."

• He said Noni Madueke's impact on the team is "very positive" but added he is not surprised as he knew Madueke was a player that "carries threat and unpredictability."

• On the Gunners only allowing two chances from open play in their past four games: "There are still a lot of things that we can improve. We know that, but it's a very good foundation to get to where we want."

• He said they "are lucky" to have players who can impact games from the bench and "you need the quality nowadays to unlock games as to do it [play] three games a week is really difficult."

• On Gabriel Martinelli and Leonardo Trossard's recent performances and whether that has kept them in Arteta's thinking: "Yes, it does. When players are in that state, they have to be used and they have to be recognised. Whenever we need them I am sure they are going to be at their best."

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

Listen to commentary of Arsenal vs Manchester City on 5 Live from 16:30 BST on Sunday

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The timing of Tim Lewis' departure comes as a shock after a hugely successful summer in the transfer market when the vice-chair played an important role.

Lewis has built a relationship with club manager Mikel Arteta and, alongside Andrea Berta, saw through the summer spend of around £250m.

Lewis, a lawyer, is a passionate advocate of financial fair play and has spoken of his concerns about the football regulator.

The 62-year-old is a strong character who is not afraid to say what he thinks, which can lead to uncomfortable conversations.

He is very respected for what he has done during his time at Arsenal and now the boardroom is set to take a new shape, just like the team on the pitch.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal executive vice-chair Tim Lewis has left the club as the Gunners reshape their boardroom.

Lewis, who has worked with the Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) group since 2007, became a director of Arsenal in 2020 before becoming the executive vice-chair in 2023.

Stan Kroenke, acquired a 9.9% stake in Arsenal in 2007, becoming majority shareholder in 2011 and assuming 100% ownership in 2018. Both he and son Josh Kroenke became co-chairs in 2023 in the last boardroom restructure.

Josh, has been increasingly active in the club and has been pictured at games at the early part of this season and attended the PFA awards with members of the squad.

BBC Sport also understands that there will be further additions to the board from the KSE group and that Ben Winston, the film producer and Arsenal fan will join as well.

Meanwhile, current managing director Richard Garlick will take on the role of chief executive officer.

Arsenal began their Champions League group stage with a hard-fought 2-0 away win against Athletic Club as Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard came off the bench and scored.

In BBC Sport's Champions League analysis, former Everton midfielder Leon Osman discussed how new signing Eberechi Eze may have to get used to a different role with the Gunners.

Birmingham City are keen to tie 14-year-old England Under-15 goalkeeper Alfie Smith down to new deal to fend off interest from Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. (Mail), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport