Arsenal are fresh from their Champions League win over Bayern Munich and are preparing to face Chelsea in the Premier League this wekened
Arsenal are still riding high after their impressive 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich. The Gunners sit top of both the Premier League and Champions League and will look to maintain their strong start to the season against Chelsea at the weekend.
Mikel Arteta ’s side enjoyed a memorable European night on Wednesday as goals from Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli announced Arsenal as contenders to win the Champions League. The Gunners have a perfect European record so far this term and have lost just once in the Premier League.
Arteta’s team have a six-point lead at the top of the league and will not want to allow their rivals to close in with a slip-up against Chelsea. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at some of the stories around Arsenal.
Arsenal get revenge warning
Harry Kane has warned Arsenal that Bayern Munich will be better prepared when the two sides next meet in the Champions League. The England captain predicts that their paths will cross again in the competition’s knockout rounds, where Bayern will seek revenge against the Gunners.
Kane felt that his Bayern team-mates competed well in the first half, having gone in level at the interval. However, while his side’s intensity dipped, Arsenal maintained their energy after the break
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“They won the first and second balls. Set pieces, we knew they would be dangerous,” Kane said. “ I’m sure we’ll see them [Arsenal] again in the later stages of the Champions League.”
He added: “It’s our first loss of the season. We don’t want to panic too much about it. But we will learn about it for sure.”
Ballon d’Or claim
Declan Rice was instrumental to Arsenal’s success against Bayern. The midfielder produced another eye-catching display to demonstrate why he is considered one of the best in the world in his position.
The 26-year-old is set to face off against one of the Premier League’s other leading midfielders in Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo on Sunday. However, Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has claimed neither player is as good as PSG ’s Vitinha.
“Vitinha, best midfielder in the world,” Frank told TNT Sports. “He’ll be the next Ballon d’Or winner for me.”
The Spurs manager’s comments followed his side’s 5-3 defeat to PSG, with Vitinha scoring a hat-trick. It remains to be seen whether Vitinha will be able to emulate his team-mate Ousmane Dembele and win the prestigious individual award next year.
Meanwhile, Rice will be focused on his upcoming battle with Caicedo. The England international has responded to suggestions that he could have a modern-day rivalry with the Chelsea star, similar to the legendary battles between Arsenal hero Patrick Vieira and Manchester United ’s Roy Keane.
“First and foremost, I have a lot of respect for Moises. I’ve played against him since his Brighton days, back when I was at West Ham,” Rice told CBS Sports. “I voted for him last year in my PFA Team of the Year. I thought he was outstanding and he has started this year incredibly well.
“There are so many comparisons between us, but we are playing different positions. He is a full-blown No6 and I am more of a box-to-box No8. Sunday is going to be an interesting game, but the most important thing is I have a lot of respect for him, like Roy and Patrick did. It’s an exciting battle between us and it’s one that I’ll be ready for, for sure.”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
