Men

Tzolis out for weeks as Arteta sets out his team news before Leeds

Christos Tzolis has a muscle injury and will miss the next few weeks, while Kai Havertz and Ezri Konsa face late fitness tests before Saturday's visit of Leeds. Ben White, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera are fit again, and Arteta hopes Declan Rice is available.

Also covered by The Athletic and Evening Standard.

Arteta says his conscience is clear over his years at Manchester City

Arteta said his conscience is clear about his time as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City, who were found guilty of 114 financial rule breaches during the international break. He said he will respect the process while the club appeals.

Also covered by BBC Sport and Evening Standard.

Arteta says stopping is not in his head after signing until 2030

Arteta, whose new contract runs to 2030 and would take him past a decade in charge, said walking away is not in his head and that he does not relate his job to pressure or stress.

Also covered by Evening Standard.

Arteta calls the Brighton defeat a lesson and demands a response

Arteta said the pain of the 3-0 defeat at Brighton is still there and that his players have to carry it into Saturday, Arsenal's first home game in more than a month. It was their first league defeat since April.

Also covered by BBC Sport.

Merino's father explains why his son chose Arsenal over Real Madrid

Miguel Merino said his son joined Arsenal rather than Real Madrid in 2024 because he wanted to compete in the Premier League and the Champions League, and that Madrid had gone for a different profile in that position.

Also covered by football.london.

Henry, Vieira and Pires named for legends match against Manchester United in Jakarta

Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Ashley Cole, Nwankwo Kanu, Petr Cech and Santi Cazorla are among the North London Legends squad to face Manchester United Legends at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Saturday.

Women

Russo sets one up and scores as England beat Greece in playoff first leg

Alessia Russo flicked the ball on for Georgia Stanway to open the scoring and then scored England's third in a 3-1 win in Crete, the first leg of their World Cup playoff. It was Russo's third goal in three games.

Academy

Under-21s chase a first Premier League 2 win of the season against Sunderland

David Horseman's under-21s host Sunderland at the Mangata Developments Stadium at 1pm on Saturday, still without a win after three draws and a defeat in their opening four games. Entry is free.

Under-18s host Birmingham City in the Premier League Cup

The under-18s play Birmingham City at the Sobha Realty Training Centre at midday on Saturday, having taken a point from a 3-3 draw with Blackburn in their group opener and won their last three league games.

Social

• u/NiallMitch10 on Reddit: Sets out what Arteta actually said about the City charges, after the BBC's press conference feed ran Enzo Maresca's quotes next to his.
• u/arsenal on Reddit: The club confirming David Raya has won Save of the Month for his penalty save against Sunderland.
• u/GooseIllustrious8591 on Reddit: A Martin Odegaard interview on the title win, his injury and the captaincy.
• Tim Stillman on Bluesky: Trails his Arsenal Women newsletter on the slow start: a midfield overhaul still settling, a bigger squad clouding the substitutions, and recruitment that has not raised the ceiling in attack.
• Graham Smyth on Bluesky: The Leeds writer on James Justin and Lukas Nmecha describing last season's trip to the Emirates as being battered, naive and picked apart.
• Oliver Kay on Bluesky: Argues Arteta's new deal will be used as proof that managers need time, and that the argument sells what he has done short.

Podcasts

• Inside Arsenal - with Charles Watts, Mikel Arteta press conference reaction - Injury latest & Arteta's City silence (41 min). Watts goes through Friday's press conference, the injury news and Arteta's answers on Manchester City.
• Kanu Believe It - An Arsenal Podcast, Episode 395 - Club football returns (49 min). Met and Wayne on Arteta's new contract and its length, Tzolis' injury, and the openings for Eze and Gyokeres against Leeds.
• The Thing About Arsenal, Preview Show: WE'RE BACK! (46 min). Luke, Rory and Jim preview Leeds and try to work out what Arsenal's best team now is.
• The Non-Negotiables: Arsenal Podcast, E271: "Leeds (H)" - Unbeaten Opponents, The Eze Question & Myles' Midfield Place (Match Preview) (49 min). Elliot, Justin and Gavin on the response needed after Brighton and the problem an unbeaten Leeds side poses.
• Arsenal Asia Talk, Arsenal Asia Talk 26/27 Ep 13 - Back to the premier league (35 min). Oscar Sum and Liam Redican return after the three week break and work through the Manchester City case.

On This Day

2012. Kim Little settled the WSL Cup final with eight minutes left, her goal beating Birmingham City 1-0 and taking the trophy back to north London. The Arsenal Women Archive has the highlights. Via The Arsenal Women Archive

1987. A 2-0 win over Oxford United at Highbury, in a First Division season that would end with George Graham's side in the Littlewoods Cup final. Via Wikipedia

1966. Tony Adams was born in Romford. He joined as a schoolboy, made his debut at 17 and stayed until 2002, captaining the club for 14 of those years.