Arsenal
Arteta Demands More After Arsenal’s 10th Consecutive Win
Arteta urged Arsenal to keep improving after a 3–0 Champions League win and club record clean sheet.
Mikel Arteta set a clear challenge after Arsenal’s 3–0 Champions League victory over Slavia Prague extended the club’s winning run to 10 matches across all competitions. The clean sheet also broke a 122-year club record, but the manager was intent on ensuring the result serves as a spur for further progress rather than celebration.
“We want more,” he said after the game. “We can still improve and do things better. That’s the right mindset to have, and we’re happy with what we’re doing. But I’m not satisfied at all, we can play better, defend better, and today we should have done some things better in the opposition half.
“It’s very tricky against them. But I’m very pleased for a lot of reasons—obviously a winning run in the Champions League without conceding a goal, at a really tough place to come.
“And we talked about being emotionally in control, and to not get frustrated when we had to play that game because we’d have the chances, the way they set up, and we certainly can look back on another very impressive performance.”
Arteta stressed that the record is a product of work and attitude. “There’s a lot of work there to achieve that. The most pleasing thing is probably not the record, it’s the mindset of the players. They are talking about how we can still do better. There was one or two situations that we could have resolved better.
“If we do that, we can keep improving and that record will have a bigger meaning.”
The manager also highlighted the debut of 15-year-old Max Dowman, who at 15 years and 308 days became the youngest player to feature in a Champions League match, beating the previous mark set by Youssoufa Moukoko at 16 years and 18 days in 2020 for Borussia Dortmund against Zenit St. Petersburg. Dowman delivered a composed 20-minute spell, winning four ground duels and drawing a couple of free-kicks.
“Yeah I didn’t know that, I just found out,” Arteta said of the age record. “But it’s no surprise. What I really liked is the way he played. He came on, started to take the ball, spread the opponent and won free-kicks. And that’s it—it doesn’t matter about the age, it’s the personality you have and the courage you have to play at this level, and I’m delighted to have him.
“Obviously, we’re super happy to see him make his debut, Andre as well, and the players that we changed to play and keep the performance.
It doesn’t matter what his passport says. You throw him in this context and he is able to adapt and have a good performance.”
Arsenal
Gyökeres to Miss November Internationals as Arsenal Target Derby Return
Arsenal hope Viktor Gyökeres will return after the November internationals for the north London derby
Arsenal expect Viktor Gyökeres to be sidelined through the November international window but are targeting his return for the north London derby on Sunday, Nov. 23. Mikel Arteta expressed concern after the striker was forced off with a muscular problem: “I am concerned because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he had to leave the pitch. He was feeling something and that’s obviously never a good sign.”
The Athletic report the Swede will undergo further tests and will be out until after the international window. Arsenal are “hoping” Gyökeres will be fit and ready to start against Tottenham Hotspur. In the meantime Arteta is expected to revert to last season’s tactical workaround, deploying natural midfielder Mikel Merino up front for the European trip to Sparta Prague and likely for the Premier League visit of Sunderland on Saturday, Nov. 8.
The timing is unfortunate for Gyökeres, who had begun to find form in an Arsenal shirt. After scoring three times in his first 11 appearances he has since found the net three times in his last three matches.
Gyökeres joins a growing list of absentees. Noni Madueke, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli are all currently unavailable. Martinelli, who sustained a muscle injury in Arsenal’s 1–0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, Oct. 26, is “targeting a return swiftly” after the November international window and is hoping to be available in time for Spurs’ trip to the Emirates as well.
Martinelli was left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for upcoming matches against Senegal and Tunisia, a move that gives the forward time to recover ahead of a congested holiday schedule. If either Gyökeres or Martinelli suffer a setback, they risk missing not only the north London derby but also clashes with Bayern Munich and Chelsea to close out November.
Arsenal
Zubimendi ruled out for Arsenal’s Champions League trip; Nørgaard to anchor midfield
Zubimendi is suspended for Arsenal’s trip to Prague after three yellows; Christian Nørgaard starts..
Arsenal will be without Martín Zubimendi for their fourth Champions League outing in the group stage as the midfielder serves a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. The Spaniard, who has been a regular presence in midfield, will not travel with the squad for the trip to Prague where Arsenal face Slavia Prague in Gameweek 4.
Zubimendi has been influential this season, logging 1,099 minutes — the third-most in Mikel Arteta’s squad across all competitions — and scoring twice. Both goals arrived in the 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest in September. He trained ahead of the midweek match but his absence is disciplinary rather than fitness related. Zubimendi did pick up a knock in Saturday’s 2–0 win over Burnley, but that is not the reason for his unavailability.
The travelling party is already depleted by a list of injuries. Gabriel Jesus, Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel Martinelli are all absent due to injury. Separately, Viktor Gyökeres and Zubimendi were listed as concerns over the weekend; the former suffered a muscle issue that will keep him out until after the November international break.
UEFA’s disciplinary framework means Zubimendi became the first player to earn a suspension in this season’s Champions League after accumulating three yellow cards in Arsenal’s opening three group games. He will be eligible to return for Gameweek 5 when Arsenal welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates. The rules also stipulate that players receive one-game bans for every odd-numbered yellow card they receive after the third. If Zubimendi picks up a fifth yellow card before the slate is wiped clean after the quarterfinals, he would face an additional suspension.
To cover his absence in central midfield, Arteta has turned to summer signing Christian Nørgaard, deploying him in a holding position for the match in Prague. Arsenal go into the fixture aiming to preserve their perfect start to the competition.
Arsenal
Arsenal Poised to Challenge 122-Year Clean Sheet Record
Arsenal sit on a run of clean sheets dating from Oct. 1; nine consecutive would break 122-year mark.
Arsenal arrive at a potential milestone after a run of defensive consistency that stretches back to Oct. 1, when the streak began against Olympiacos. The club went through the entire month of October without conceding in six matches and can extend that run if they avoid defeat against Slavia Prague. If the Gunners are successful against Slavia Prague, they could set a record of nine straight clean sheets on Saturday, Nov. 8 against Sunderland.
The numbers underline the start to the campaign. Across competitions Arsenal have kept 12 clean sheets in 15 matches so far. In the Premier League they have played 10 games, kept seven clean sheets and conceded three goals. In the Champions League they are three from three with three clean sheets and no goals conceded. In the Carabao Cup they have played two matches and kept two clean sheets with no goals conceded.
The last goal Arsenal conceded came on Sept. 28 in a 2–1 win at Newcastle United. Before that the only other moments to beat David Raya came from Erling Haaland in a 1–1 draw against Manchester City and Dominik Szoboszlai in a loss at Anfield. The defeat at Anfield is their only loss so far this season.
Manager Mikel Arteta’s defensive unit, from David Raya to Gabriel and William Saliba, has been central to the club’s form. Depth options including Myles Lewis-Skelly, Piero Hincapié and Ben White have also featured as Arteta manages fitness and rotation. Arsenal are one of two teams yet to concede a goal in three Champions League matches, the other being Inter, whom the Gunners will meet in January.
Gabriel has been prominent both defensively and in attack. He has five goal contributions, two goals and three assists, in 15 appearances. Most recently he assisted Viktor Gyökeres in a 2–0 win away to Burnley. Jamie Carragher recently even went as far to name the Brazilian an early contender for Premier League Player of the Season.
As Arsenal look to maintain momentum, their run of clean sheets is the defining storyline ahead of the next fixtures and a potential historic mark for the club.
