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English sides discover their UCL opponents.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United find out their league phase opponents. Arsenal: Real Madrid (H) Bayern Munich (A) Borussia Dortmund (H) Real Betis (A) Lille (H) Napoli (A) Sabah (H) Slavia Praha (A) Manchester City: PSG (H) Barcelona (A) Sporting Lisbon (H) Porto (A) Napoli (H) RB Leipzig (A) AEK Athens (H) Lens (A) Liverpool: Atletico Madrid (H) Inter Milan (A) Porto (H) Club Brugge (A) Villarreal (H) Fenerbahce (A) Lens (H) LASK (A) Aston Villa: PSG (H) Barcelona (A) Borussia Dortmund (H) Club Brugge (A) Fenerbahce (H) Galatasaray (A) Viking (H) Slavia Praha (A) Manchester United: Bayern Munich (H) Atletico Madrid (A) Roma (H) Sporting Lisbon (A) RB Leipzig (H) Villarreal (A) Sabah (H) Como (A) The exact dates for these fixtures will be confirmed in due course, but the matches will take place across these dates: MW1: September 8-10 MW2: October 13-14 MW3: October 20-21 MW4: November 3-4 MW5: November 24-25 MW6: December 8-9 MW7: January 19-20 MW8: January 27

August 27, 2026

Everything you need to know about the 2026/27 Premier League season

Arsenal regained their Premier League crown last season, but after a World Cup and a hectic summer which has saw nine new managers in the dugout this season, it’s bound to be another crazy season in England. Coventry, Hull and Ipswich have all returned to the division, two of which winning on opening day. With the first round of the Premier League in, here’s what to expect from every team this season. Arsenal: Mikel Arteta’s side became the first Arsenal team to win the league since the 03/04 Invincibles last season, and it only felt a matter of time after multiple 2nd place finishes. The Champions League finalists look in a good position to do it again, not only due to the squad Arteta has spent years building, or how hard they are to beat, but also thanks to the masses of change around them. Like mentioned, Arteta has spent years building a squad with depth only bested by Guardiola’s Manchester City team, which means Arsenal have been able to have a quieter window. That being said, the business they have done looks to be extremely smart, you can see where every player fits in. Players in: Bruno Guimaraes, Illian Meslier, Christos Tzolis, Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapie (loan made permanent). Players out: Leandro Trossard, Christian Norgaard, Karl Hein, Jakub Kiwior (loan made permanent). What to expect: Champions Aston Villa: When Unai Emery took over at Aston Villa, they looked like they were bound for the Championship, but the Spaniard has transformed them into European regulars in a matter of years. Villa are now preparing for their second Champions League under Emery after he won his fifth Europa League last season. They’ll be without their star man Morgan Rogers after his big money move to Chelsea, Youri Tielemans could be a massive loss too. It looks like Emi Martinez will stay after all after another summer linked away. If the UEFA Super Cup against PSG is anything to go by, it looks like Villa could promote their youth this season, especially given the amount of big names that have left Villa Park this window. Players in: Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, Modu Keba Cisse, Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, Alejandro Garnacho (loan), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (loan). Players out: Morgan Rogers, Donyell Malen, Youri Tielemans, Lewis Dobbin, Lucas Dinge, Enzo Barrenechea, Ezri Konsa, Samuel Illing-Junior (loan), Andres Garcia (loan), Joe Gauci (loan), Oliwer Zych (loan), Kosta Nedeljkovic (loan). What to expect: European places Bournemouth: Marco Rose has replaced Andoni Iraola in the Bournemouth dugout this season as the club prepare for their first-ever season of European football. Bournemouth are always hard ones to predict, but this year even more so with a new manager, a quantity of unproven signings and balancing playing twice, especially in a squad that doesn’t look to have too much depth. Players in: Alvaro Rodriguez, Antonio Silva, Juanalu Sanchez. Players out: Hamed Traore, Luis Sinisterra, Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal, Alex Jiminez (loan), Alex Paulsen (loan). What to expect: Bottom-half Brentford: Brentford so narrowly missed out on European football last season following a breakout year for manager Keith Andrews. From Ollie Watkins to Ivan Toney to Bryan Mbueno and Yoanne Wissa to Igor Thiago, they always have someone who knows where the net is. They’re always a hard team to predict and always seem to exceed expectations, so watch out for Brentford again. Players in: Mamadou Sangare, Jannik Schuster, Jaiden Anthony, Callum Wilson. Players out: Frank Onyeka, Jordan Henderson, Ryan Trevitt (loan), Yunus Konnak (loan), Romelle Donovan (loan), Matthew Cox (loan). What to expect: Top-half Brighton: Hearts stole the headlines last year, but Brighton have shown what Jamestown Analytics have been able to do for years. They’re in the Conference League Play-Offs this season, so could be balancing twice a week football too. It’s been a busy window for both ins and outs for the Premier League’s youngest ever permanent manager. Players in: Luka Vuskovic, Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Costinha, Michael Svoboda, Rodrigo Rego, Promise David (loan). Players out: Jan Paul Van Hecke, Carl Rushworth, Diego Coppola, Danny Welbeck, Jeremy Sarmiento, Joel Veltman, James Milner (retired), Adam Webster, Solly March, Facundo Bounnanotte (loan), Tommy Watson (loan), James Beadle (loan), Rodrigo Rego (loan), Do Young-Yoon (loan). What to expect: European contenders Chelsea The post-Roman Abramovic era in West London can be summed up by one word, instability. Chelsea are preparing for yet another season under a new manager, but Xabi Alonso seems like one Chelsea fans can be really excited about. Of course, it didn’t work out for Alonso in Madrid, but his 2023/24 season with Leverkusen shows what the footballing legend is capable of. They’ve tried it all at Stamford Bridge, from the stability of Mauricio Pochettino to the exciting new managers such as Graham Potter, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, but something about Alonso feels different. If he hits the ground running and is given time, the good times could be coming back to Chelsea soon. Of course, it’s been a busy transfer window at Chelsea, but Morgan Rogers has been one of the Premier League’s best players in recent years and should be suited to Alonso’s system. Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson don’t jump off the page at anyone, but the experience they’ll bring to such a young squad can only be a good thing. Players in: Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palesta, Goevanny Quenda, Valentin Barco, Emmanuel Emeghma, Pep Chavarria, Denner, Danny Welbeck, Dastan Satpaev, Jordan Henderson. Players out: Andrey Santos, Marc Cucurella, Trevor Chalobah, Tyrique George, Omari Kellyman, Dastan Satpaev (loan), Alejandro Garnacho (loan), Filip Jorgensen (loan), Benoit Badiashile (loan). What to expect: Champions League places Coventry City: Coventry return to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years this season, and after winning the Championship last season, certainly look the pick of the bunch from the promoted sides. One of the main questions surrounding Coventry going into this season will be whether Frank Lampard can keep up tactically in the Premier League as weak points have been pointed out in his previous sides.

August 25, 2026

Could Alverez be on the verge of an Atletico exit?

Tensions are rising in the Spanish capital as Julian Alverez looks to be set for a big departure from Atletico Madrid. The transfer chaos is causing unrest in the dressing room at the Madrid side, as fans — and even their own manager — seem to be turning, say Spanish reporters, although publicly, Simeone and his teammates seem to be fully backing Álvarez. The Argentinian received unwanted boos from his own support as he was taken off in their 2-2 draw with Villarreal. As the full-time whistle blew, his teammates went over towards their support to applaud them, but Álvarez took a different route, heading straight to the dressing room while abuse was directed at him. You could tell from the look on Álvarez’s face, as well as during training, that he had zero interest in remaining at Atlético, and it shows the issue Simeone has on his hands, as Álvarez has clearly made it known that he wants to leave the club ahead of deadline day, with Barcelona being his preferred destination despite strong interest from Arsenal. Simeone is eager to keep hold of Álvarez, but it’s very clear that Álvarez wants out of the club as soon as possible. It is said that Arsenal officials travelled to Madrid on Friday to discuss a potential deal for Álvarez, with Arteta claiming Álvarez would be a dream signing. The move to Arsenal looks likely with journalist Fabrizio Romano saying: “The Arsenal is involved in the operation. It would be ready to make the attempt, and it’s just waiting for the green light from Julian Alvarez.”

August 24, 2026

Match Preview: Arsenal vs Coventry City

Premier League football returns this weekend as Arsenal kick-off their title defence at home against last season’s Championship winners Coventry City. Both clubs made history last season. Mikel Arteta’s men ended a 22-year wait for a Premier League trophy, while Coventry City, on Friday night in North London, will play in their first Premier League match since the 2000-01 season. Frank Lampard’s side will be hoping to do much better than that Coventry side of 25 years ago, who got relegated following a 0-0 draw against Bradford City. The last meeting between these two sides came back in January 2014 in the FA Cup. Podolski bagged a brace, Giroud netted and Cazorla scored late on as Arsenal won 4-0. Both clubs have been active in the transfer market. The Gunners, ahead of their title defence, have brought in Hincapié, who played a crucial role in bringing the Premier League trophy to North London, Meslier, who has Premier League experience, Tzolis, who registered 51 goal contributions for Club Brugge during last season and Guimarães, who was a consistent performer during his five year spell at Newcastle United. Coventry City have also been busy, as they look to build on their success from last season. The Sky Blues have brought in striker Cherif, who played for Fenerbahçe last season, striker Awoniyi, who has four years of Premier League experience, Hamer, who was a fan favourite during his time in Coventry. Other additions include midfielder Yirenkyi, who represented Ghana at the 2026 World Cup, Rushworth, who made his deal permanent after a fantastic loan spell last season, defender Amenda, who joined from Frankfurt, winger Tchaouna, who played 29 Premier League games for Burnley last season, scoring two and providing one assist, and last but not least Onyeka, who also made his move permanent this summer. Arsenal failed to win any of their three pre-season matches in 90 minutes, however, did manage to beat last season’s FA Cup winners Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield. Coventry City on the other hand enjoyed a successful pre-season, against tough opposition. Following their 0-0 draw against Northampton Town, The Sky Blues beat Espanyol 3-1, who finished mid table in La Liga last season, and Monaco 2-0, who finished 7th in Ligue 1.

August 21, 2026

Arsenal Premier League Champions!

Arsenal secured a long awaited Premier League title as Manchester City failed to defeat AFC Bournemouth. All Arsenal needed tonight was for Man City to drop points at the hands of Bournemouth which went their way on the night as Kroupi netted on 39 minutes with a 95th minute Haaland equaliser not enough to see City continue the title challenge and former City assistant, Arteta securing the league title. Arsenal have seen years and years of failing to get their hands on the title but that all came to an end tonight after an excellent campaign by Arteta’s side. The Gunners started off their season with a 1-0 win away at Old Trafford, courtesy of an early Calafiori goal gave Arsenal the exact start they wanted. From then, it kept going exactly how they wanted with 82 points on the board and just 5 defeats this season, it’s been a brilliant season for the North London side. Arsenal made it title number 14 after ending their long 22-year wait of no top division titles which is their first title since their magical Invincibles title back in the 2003/04 season which also ends a six-year gap without any silverware. The Gunners travel to London rivals, Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon where they will be presented their well and deserved title at Selhurst Park but that’s not their season over as they have the chance to also lift the UEFA Champions League trophy as they meet PSG 10-days time in Budapest.

May 19, 2026

Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle: Post-Match Reaction

Arsenal go back top with narrow win against Newcastle. Mikel Arteta on the importance of the win: “I’m really happy for the win. We talked about game one and how important that was. We did the job. We should have finished with a bigger margin in certain moments of the game, but when it’s 1-0 it’s always tough because they have quality, because they brought so many good players on the bench as well. And when we don’t finish the action, especially the open ones that we had, the margin is going to be smaller.” On the decision to not send off Nick Pope: “They will have their opinion, I’m here to give my opinion and somebody that has been in the game for a long time, and you talk to any of the players, because the trajectory where the ball is, there’s no keeper there. If that were to happen the other way around, it’s a red card.” On Eberechi Eze: “Eze is a big player for us and he’s in a really good moment. He produced an incredible moment to score the goal. Hopefully he’s fit and he can be with us on Wednesday.” On Kai Havertz’s injury: “He had a little niggle, so I don’t know how serious it is. It didn’t look too big because the action, the way he describes it, is not too sharp, but I have to wait and see.” On the return of Bukayo Saka: “Great. I think he had a very good impact as well in the minutes that he’s played. He’s back, I think he looks sharp, he looks good, he looks fresh. You certainly notice something different in the team and in the stadium as well when he comes in, so we certainly need that. “Let’s see how he reacts tomorrow, how he absorbs the load. He’s so keen, he’s so motivated, it’s the most beautiful part of the season, and he’s with us.” Eberechi Eze: “I don’t hear pundits! The pressure we put on ourselves is so much more than what’s coming from outside. “It’s the necessary pressure to win, it’s not negative, it’s beautiful.” On his injury: “I’m all good, I have no serious injury.” Declan Rice on a ‘massive’ three points: “The three points were massive today. After the week we had against Manchester City, there was a lot of encouragement to take from that game, but we knew coming into this, with five games left, we have to win all five. “To tick that one off today was a real boost, so we’re really, really happy with the win today.” On the difficulty of playing Newcastle: “Always against Newcastle, it will be a really tough game, they have unbelievable players who can hurt you at any time. “We could have done better in front of goal in the second half, it opened up for us, and it was just lacking that final pass. But in the end, three points, a special goal from Ebs and that makes the weekend better, so it is all good.”

April 26, 2026

Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal – Match Preview

Arsenal return to Champions League action on Tuesday, looking to bounce back from back-to-back cup defeats. These two sides have met three times in the past three years. The first of those three came in a 2-2 draw in Lisbon in the first leg of the Last 16 of the Europa League. In the return leg in N5, Sporting Lisbon progressed on penalties after a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. And the most recent meeting between these sides came in November 2024, when Arsenal won 5-1 in Lisbon. Sporting Lisbon enjoyed an impressive Champions League, league phase, finishing within the top 8, above the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain. This match will be far from easy for the Gunners, as in the last 16, the Portuguese outfit overturned a 3-0 first leg deficit against Norwegian side Bodo Glimt. Rui Borges’ side won 3-0 after 90 minutes, which sent the tie into extra time, where goals from Araujo and Nel sent Sporting through, to set up a Last 8 meeting with Arsenal. Arsenal are yet to lose in this season’s Champions League. The Gunners won all 8 of their league phase matches which resulted in a 1st place finish. Mikel Arteta’s men were then drawn against Bayer Leverkusen in the Last 16, where they won 3-1 across the two legs, drawing 1-1 in Germany, then winning 2-0 in England. Sporting Lisbon come into this first leg clash off the back of back-to-back league wins against Alverca and Santa Clara, and in their last three matches in all competitions, they have found the net thirteen times, while Arsenal come into this meeting off the back of back-to-back cup defeats against Manchester City in the League Cup Final, then against Southampton in the FA Cup. Sporting Lisbon will be without their captain Morten Hjulmand for Tuesday’s first leg through suspension. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed that Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka will not be available for Arsenal in Lisbon, however, Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel will all be available for selection. Viktor Gyokeres scored an impressive 97 times for Sporting Lisbon in only 102 appearances, and manager Rui Borges hopes that the Swede will receive a positive reception from the Sporting faithful when he returns to Lisbon on Tuesday: “He is a great player, and I am sure he will be welcomed by everyone because he marked the history of Sporting, and he deserves this acknowledgement. “I always try to be balanced, and I try to understand everyone. He had the ambition, and after talking to the management, they came to an understanding so ultimately everything that happened was correct for both sides; both Sporting and the player got what they wanted. He wanted to take that step in his career and we respect that. “Players will change, but the club stays the same, and Sporting will go on winning. I wish him (Gyokeres) all the best and I am sure he will be very welcome here because the admiration we have for him is great.” Rui Borges on Arsenal: “It is a great team, and great teams always want to win. They want to be in all competitions. “They will be like a wounded beast tomorrow. They will be more focused, more willing to show their collective and individual capacity. “Frankly, I think it will make things more difficult for us the fact that they have not had the best two last matches. But Arsenal will be facing a very motivated team. We believe we can do something extraordinary tomorrow, something that has never been done by Sporting.” Mikel Arteta on Sporting Lisbon: “Before we played them as well, when you look at what they’ve done, especially at home, the way they have behaved in this Champions League, the teams that they have beaten, we know the difficulty of the match. That’s why we want it even more.”

April 6, 2026

UCL Roundup: Arsenal, Liverpool Advance; City, Spurs Among Big Exits

Arsenal and Liverpool both progress into the next round of the UEFA Champions League with Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham’s European Campaign’s all coming to an end. Here is a round-up from the Round of 16 fixtures involving the six Premier League sides: Chelsea 0-3 PSG (PSG win 8-2 on aggregate) Following a tough night in the French capital last week, it didn’t get any better in London. Chelsea did have a few good chances but were no where near clinical enough – exact opposite of PSG as they were excellent in front of goal seeing off Chelsea with three goals. Chelsea started on the wrong foot as Kvaratskhelia fired PSG ahead followed by a Barcola strike eight minutes later. Mayulu sealed the win if it wasn’t already done to keep the holders in the competition as the Premier League side exit. Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid (Real Madrid win 5-1 on aggregate) The first leg was far from expected as Valverde’s first half hat trick gave the Madrid side a valuable lead going into the leg in Manchester. Pep’s side got off to the worst start possible which saw Bernardo Silva shown red which gave the visitors a penalty after 22 minutes where Vinicius Junior dispatched to put Real Madrid further ahead. City pulled one back before the break through Haaland but was still going to be an uphill battle. City continued to huff and puff but couldn’t find another as in the dying minutes, Vinicius Junior grabbed his second to dump Man City out of the competition. Arsenal 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Arsenal win 3-1 on aggregate) Arsenal got the job done on home soil after a 1-1 draw in Germany last week. The Gunners were dominant for majority of the game which paid off after 36 minutes as Eze with an outstanding strike from distance right into the back of the net gave Arteta’s side a deserved lead going into the break. Arsenal were in need of a second to see off any worries where Declan Rice made no mistake and doubled the advantage on the night to see Arsenal through following a deserved victory in North London. Liverpool 4-0 Galatasaray (Liverpool win 4-1 on aggregate) It was a disappointing night in Turkey in the first leg as Liverpool fell short as the Turkish side ran away 1-0 winners but the second leg was total opposite. Liverpool started brightly where Dominic Szoboszlai had Arne Slott’s men level on aggregate after 25 minutes. Ekitike put the hosts in front six minutes into the second period and just two minutes on they had a third as Gravenberch handed Liverpool the advantage going into the latter stages. Salah had then got in on the act with a strike just after the hour mark sure no upset was on the cards and Liverpool continue. Barcelona 7-2 Newcastle (Barcelona win 8-3 on aggregate) Following a 1-1 draw in Newcastle last week, the game began as a very exciting contest. Raphinha put Barca ahead very early on but Elanga had the Premier League side back on level terms nine minutes on. Just a few minutes later, Barcelona were ahead once again, this time through Bernal who smashed the ball home in a exciting start. 10 minutes on, Elanga netted the fourth goal of the half to draw Newcastle level once again but Barca were given a late first-half penalty following a push from Trippier where wonderkid Yamal netted into the bottom right-hand corner. It continued to go down hill as the La Liga side went onto score another 4 with Lopez on target, Raphinha scoring his second as well as Robert Lewandowski grabbing a brace to end the Newcastle dreams in style. Tottenham 3-2 Atletico Madrid (Atletico Madrid win 7-5 on aggregate) The first leg was a complete horror show as three costly errors saw Atletico go ahead by three goals within 15 minutes which saw Kinsky get subbed off after just 17 minutes which saw Tottenham go on to lose 5-2 in the Spanish capital. However, it was a much improved performance in North London but just wasn’t enough to go through. Kolo Muani had Spurs’ ahead after half-an-hour where Spurs were ahead at half-time. Atletico responded right away as former Manchester City man Jullian Alvarez equalised for the visitors. Xavi Simons regained the lead for Tottenham but Hancko cancelled out the goal on 75 minutes as Atletico refused to let Tottenham have any chance of getting back into the match. Tottenham won it late on through a Simons penalty but just wasn’t enough to win the game over both legs as Igor Tudor’s men crash out. UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final Draw: PSG v Liverpool Real Madrid v Bayern Munich Barcelona v Atletico Madrid Sporting CP v Arsenal

March 18, 2026

Arsenal 2-0 (3-1) Bayer Leverkusen: Post-match reaction

Post-match reaction from Arsenal’s win against Bayer Leverkusen, which sees Mikel Arteta’s men progress through to the Last 8 of the Champions League. Mikel Arteta on Eze’s special strike opening up the tie: “Yes, I think it’s true, I think we started the game so well. We were a threat from every angle, their ‘keeper maintained them in the game I think, and we needed a magical moment from Ebs to score a wonderful goal, a wonderful strike, to give us the lead. In the second half we had periods of domination, periods where they dominated as well because they are a really good side, and they are really good in what they do. And again, Declan’s actions opened the opportunity to go on and win the game and the tie, and unfortunately as well we had four or five situations where we should have probably scored the third one and put the game to bed. But overall, I think we fully deserve to be in the quarter-finals.” On Declan Rice’s display: “He was immense. Him and the whole team – I just mentioned the soul of the team, I think the manner that they go for every ball, the passion that they show and the reaction is remarkable. Doing it every three days at that level is so difficult.” On David Raya’s crucial saves: “I don’t know what they generated, again in two games it was a set-piece last time and then a header before that, and today an action. He makes an incredible save, that’s why he’s here, he’s absolutely amazing.” Leandro Trossard:“It was a good performance from us, especially how we dominated that first half with a lot of chances. “I think we enjoyed ourselves]a lot on the pitch today, you could see that, it transmitted on to the crowd as well, I think we were very good and it was a perfect one for us. “We just needed to get the business done and I think we did it in a very good way.” Eberechi Eze on his goal: “I don’t know if I could dream of scoring a goal like that! I just saw the opportunity to shoot & thankful to God it worked today. It’s a special goal, I’m going to remember it for a long time.” On the season run-in: “The clear aim is to win trophies… it’s what we want to do, it’s what we’ve had as our goal from the start”. We’re in the final stages of all competitions, we’ll keep pushing, working. God willing, it comes through.” Declan Rice: “I’m shattered. It’s non stop. We are obviously still in all competitions. It’s been every 3 days since October. We’ve been coping with it best we can. You find energy and ways to win on nights like this.”

March 18, 2026

The big one-six: Max Dowman becomes the youngest ever Premier League scorer

Max Dowman broke Premier League history as he was the difference maker in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton. The 16-year-old came onto the pitch in the 74th minute, the score line being level. And his quality was shown in the last minutes of the match. In the 89th minute his wonderful cross found fullback Piero Hincaple, which then bobbled to Victor Gyokeres’ feet and ended up in the back of the net. Giving The Gunners a massive boost in the race for the Premier League title. And this wasn’t the end of the young Englishman’s magic. In the last minute of the fixture Everton were awarded a corner, which Jordan Pickford went up for. Dowman then picked up a loose ball from the clearance of the corner and produced a breath taking moment in Premier League history. He easily glided past two Everton defenders and then rolled the ball into an empty net, making him the youngest ever Premier League scorer. A real statement from the youngster, who made a real impact and may well be a key factor in Arsenal’s push for Premier League and European glory. Does he deserve a start in next week’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City?

March 14, 2026