The Bottom Line

Men: Saka will miss Saturday's visit of Hull and still has no return date, with another scan needed on his quad. Saliba is available again after his back injury and Konsa will be assessed after coming off in Prague. Odegaard reached 250 Arsenal appearances there, and Raya said the pain of losing last season's Champions League final to PSG is driving the squad.

Women: Slegers called the next four games defining, starting with Sunday's trip to Anfield. She said the team's more aggressive press is still being worked on after Aston Villa's opener.

Academy: Andria Bartishvili, who arrives next summer, is out for the rest of 2026 with ankle ligament damage. The Under-16s reached the plate semi-finals at the Messi Cup in Miami.

Men

Saka will not play against Hull and still has no return date

Saka has missed four games with the quad injury he picked up against Bayern Munich and will not face Hull on Saturday. Arteta says another scan is needed before a timeline can be set.

Also covered by football.london.

Odegaard reaches 250 Arsenal appearances with the best win rate of any modern captain

Odegaard played his 250th match for the club in Prague, five years after arriving from Real Madrid on loan. He has won 107 of his 164 games as captain, a 65.2 per cent rate, the highest of any Arsenal skipper since 1988/89.

Raya says the pain of the Champions League final is 'in our veins'

After his late save held Slavia Prague off, Raya said losing last season's final to PSG on penalties still drives the squad and that it is on the players to make it better this year.

Arteta, Rice and Konsa are up for the Premier League's October awards

Arteta is one of six managers shortlisted after winning all three league games in October, and Rice and Konsa are on the eight-man player shortlist. Voting closes at midday on Monday.

Also covered by Arsenal.com.

Hull City at home kicks off at 3pm on Saturday and is not on UK television

The last match before the international break is a 3pm kick-off at Emirates Stadium with no UK broadcast, so the club is running build-up and commentary on Live From N5 with Adrian Clarke and Dan Roebuck.

Arsenal reported to be scouting Antonio Nusa for January

The Sun reports that Arsenal have watched the RB Leipzig winger this season, adding him to a January forward list that also carries Eli Junior Kroupi and Kenan Yildiz. Leipzig are said to have no intention of selling mid-season.

Colin Firth fronts the club's Christmas film with Gabriel, Calafiori and Russo

The campaign, called 'Twas the Season, builds on last season's title win and features Firth alongside Russo, Calafiori, Gabriel and hundreds of supporters.

Also covered by Sky Sports.

Women

Slegers says every moment is defining before a run of Liverpool, Barcelona and Lyon

Slegers was asked whether the next four games decide the season and said everything is defining now. Anfield on Sunday is followed by Barcelona at Camp Nou, London City Lionesses and Lyon.

Also covered by Arsenal.com.

Slegers defends the high press after Aston Villa's opener came from it

Asked whether the new pressing structure has left Arsenal open on the counter, Slegers said they handled 18 of about 20 Villa goal kicks well and that the side will keep looking to be aggressive in moments.

Liverpool v Arsenal kicks off at 12pm on Sunday at Anfield

The Women's Super League trip to Merseyside starts at midday, with tickets still on general sale and Sportsnet, Stan Sport and other regional broadcasters carrying it.

Academy

Bartishvili out for the rest of 2026 with ankle ligament damage

An MRI confirmed damage to the ankle ligament of the 17-year-old Georgian winger, who signed a pre-contract in September for just under a reported £4m and joins next summer when he turns 18. He is on loan at Iberia 1999.

Under-16s reach the Messi Cup plate semi-finals in Miami

Drawn with Barcelona, Newell's Old Boys and Palmeiras, Michael Donaldson's side moved into the plate competition, beat Inter Miami and then lost on penalties to UE Cornella.

Social

• u/RexFlexMax on Reddit: A list making the point that Arsenal have conceded three goals in a match only three times in the last three years, against Liverpool's recent run of them.
• u/Falsely_True7 on Reddit: A catalogue of Havertz's late goals, from the 86th minute winner against Brentford in March 2024 onwards.
• u/Mental_Side on Reddit: A supporter in Toronto who met Emmanuel Petit, with the photograph to prove it.
• Daily Cannon on Bluesky: Quoting Gary Jacobs in The Times: Madueke is averaging more key passes per 90 minutes than any Premier League player with over 200 minutes this season.
• now.arsenal on Bluesky: Aaron Ramsey's Oxford United are third and ten league games unbeaten in his first job in management.
• Saint Vespaluus on Bluesky: The 1975 Arsenal side rendered in Subbuteo, Jimmy Rimmer in goal.

Podcasts

• Arseblog Arsecast, The Arsenal Podcast, Episode 899 - Another away win (1h 2m). Blogs is joined by Tom Canton on the 2-1 win in Prague, Madueke's goal, Gyokeres' night and Saliba's return.
• The ArsenalVision Podcast, Arsenal Win Game of Two Halves but Much Bigger Tests Lie Ahead (1h 9m). Elliot and Clive on a sharp first half and a sloppy second, Arteta's rotation and the Hull preview.
• The Non-Negotiables: Arsenal Podcast, E283: "Hull City (h)" (56 min). Gav and Ells look back at Prague, play the Who Am I game and turn to Hull's visit.
• Handbrake Off: The Athletic FC's Arsenal show, Is Martin Odegaard already an Arsenal legend? (56 min). Ian Stone, Art de Roche and Amy Lawrence on Odegaard's career after his 250th game, plus the Prague win.
• Arsenal AM, Arsenal_AM_Episode_200 Supporting the Good in the Islington Community (25 min). The 200th episode, with a representative of the Islington food bank on its work and how the club supports it.

On This Day

2022. Gabriel's 63rd minute header won it at Stamford Bridge, a 1-0 victory over Chelsea that sent Arsenal back to the top of the league in the season they stayed there until April. Via Wikipedia

2016. Arsenal Women won 5-3 at Liverpool, Danielle Carter scoring twice inside four minutes and Jordan Nobbs, Chloe Kelly and Asisat Oshoala adding the rest. The two meet at Anfield again on Sunday. Via The Arsenal Women Archive

1988. Arsenal won 4-1 at the City Ground, with Alan Smith, Steve Bould, Tony Adams and Brian Marwood all scoring in front of 19,038 on the way to the title that ended at Anfield. Via Wikipedia

1964. Stewart Robson was born, an East London midfielder who came through at Highbury, made his debut as a teenager and played for Arsenal from 1981 to 1986.