Chelsea were handed a nine-month academy transfer ban and a £750,000 fine over the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.
But compare this case with Everton and Nottingham Forest in 2024, when both clubs received points deductions for PSR breaches that appear much less serious.
So what relevance, if any, does all this have on the Premier League’s other major disciplinary case?
Fifteen months after the end of an independent commission hearing into more than 100 alleged breaches of financial rules by Manchester City, the club is still waiting to discover its fate.
Unlike Chelsea, City deny wrongdoing and are contesting the case. And unlike at Stamford Bridge, there has been no change of ownership at the Etihad to provide mitigation.
But City fans will surely be encouraged that the Premier League board did not appear to even consider a points deduction in the case of Chelsea, despite the “deception and concealment”. Indeed, it referred to a two-window transfer ban as an “appropriate” punishment, had the club not self-reported and co-operated.
In July 2023, Uefa fined the club £8m over the same case. And the FA is expected to take similar action when it announces the conclusion of its disciplinary process into the affair in the coming weeks.
But there are clear signs that Chelsea feared it could have been worse. In 2024, it was revealed that owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali held back £150m of their purchase price for the club to cover potential fines relating to the Abramovich era. So far this episode has cost the club about £18m.
Some of their rivals may feel the cost may have been greater in the form of trophies and prize money they could potentially have won. And also to the integrity and credibility of a competition that relies on everyone following the rules.
Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 in a nervy match in the Premier League as they continue their pursuit of the title.
Published On 14 Mar 202614 Mar 2026
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Max Dowman, a 16-year-old Arsenal winger, became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer with a remarkable stoppage-time strike in his team’s 2-0 win over Everton.
Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half, dribbled around two Everton players and raced clear unchallenged from the halfway line to tap into an empty net, with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stranded upfield having gone forward for a corner.
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An English football prodigy, Dowman — at 16 years, 73 days — was playing just his third Premier League match after two previous substitute appearances at the start of the season.
He broke the record of former Everton player James Vaughan, who was 16 years, 270 days when he scored against Crystal Palace in 2005.
In November, Dowman became the youngest player in Champions League history at 15 years, 308 days when he entered as a second-half substitute against Slavia Prague.
Dowman is still in school. He was 14 when he was asked by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to train with the senior team in December last year, and he starred on the club’s preseason tour of Asia in matches against AC Milan and Newcastle.
To abide by Premier League regulations for players under 18, Dowman has to change into his Arsenal kit for training sessions and matches in a separate locker room from his senior teammates.
Who: Manchester United vs Aston Villa What: English football’s Premier League Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom When: Sunday March 15, at 2pm (14:00 GMT) How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 11:00 GMT
Manchester United and Aston Villa face a crunch clash on Sunday in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.
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The pair hold third and fourth spots respectively in the Premier League, with United edging Villa on goal difference, while Chelsea and Liverpool sit three points behind the pair in fifth and sixth.
With only the top four being guaranteed a place at the top table of European football, the encounter at Old Trafford holds huge value to both with nine games to go of the season.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the match.
Man Utd look to bounce back from first defeat under Carrick
Manchester United’s interim manager Michael Carrick on Friday said his players were “itching to get going” again, after suffering their first defeat under his leadership.
Last week, 10-man Newcastle United ended Carrick’s unbeaten run since he replaced Ruben Amorim in January.
“I understand the first defeat feels different but it was going to come at some point. Most teams have suffered that at some point,” Carrick told reporters.
“It has been a really good week in some ways, we have put ourselves in a position where there is a lot to play for.”
Carrick brushes off Scholes dig at Man Utd
United’s defeat by Newcastle prompted a dig from former player Paul Scholes, who wrote on Instagram: “Michael has definitely got something special about him … cos Utd have been crap last four games.”
Asked about his former teammate’s comment, Carrick said: “It was nothing really, nothing to say about it really.
“I think that is just where we are in terms of social media and things, and captions and quotes. It can be taken in different ways, so just be calm about it and understand the real meaning of things.
“Listen, there are different opinions out there and it’s fine. People can have different opinions.
“It’s just things get taken from one extreme to another. It is what it is. I am not worried about it and don’t make a big deal of it either.
“There’s nothing to say about it, really,” he said.
How have Aston Villa fared in the Premier League this season?
Villa had a turbulent start to the campaign, as they failed to register a win in their first five league matches – losing two. A run of 12 league wins in 13, however, propelled them into a title challenge by the turn of the year.
A 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on New Year’s Eve marked the start of another downturn, though, with only three wins recorded in 11 games starting with the defeat in London.
The midlands club have lost three of their last five on the road in the league, recording only one win in that time.
Last up for Man Utd
United suffered their first defeat under Carrick in their match at Newcastle United on March 4.
The home side were reduced to 10 men when Jacob Ramsey was sent off on the stroke of half-time.
It came in a frantic end to the first half that saw Anthony Gorden give Newcastle an injury-time lead from the penalty spot, only for Casemiro to head home an equaliser to send the sides in level.
William Osula netted the winner in the 90th minute to give Eddie Howe’s side all three points despite their numerical disadvantage.
“It was disappointing the way the game ended (against Newcastle) but we have digested that, looked at it and learned from it,” Carrick said ahead of the Villa match.
“We have trained really well this week and the boys are itching to get going.”
Last up for Aston Villa
Villa were 1-0 winners at Lille in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, ending a four-game winless streak that included three defeats.
Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute.
The return leg will be played at Villa Park on Thursday.
What happened the last time Man Utd played Aston Villa?
Villa recorded a 2-1 win in the reverse Premier League fixture at Villa Park in November, despite an encouraging display for Ruben Amorim’s United.
Morgan Rogers scored both goals for Villa – his first was scored in the 45th minute but United were level in first-half stoppage time through Matheus Cunha.
What happened in the corresponding fixture between Man Utd and Villa last season?
United were 2-1 winners in the Premier League match at Old Trafford last season.
The Red Devils were greatly aided by the sending off of Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez just before the break.
Amad Diallo and an 87th minute Christian Eriksen penalty sealed the win for the home side.
Head-to-head
This will be the 202nd meeting between the clubs with Manchester United winning 107 of the matches. Aston Villa have won 52 of the encounters, which date back to November 1892 and a 2-0 home win for United in the old Division One.
Manchester United team news
Carrick said Mason Mount had taken a “big step” and could return from a two-month absence against Villa this weekend.
The midfielder missed their last six league games due to injury.
“He is an important player for us,” he said.
“He is not 100 percent and he has only trained for a small period of time. But he is back and that’s good for us. We will see if he is involved on Sunday. That is it in terms of the players coming back.”
Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount all remain absent though, and Lisandro Martinez has been added to that list with a calf injury, while there remains an injury doubt over Luke Shaw.
The defender was forced off with injury in the defeat by Newcastle, but Noussair Mazraoui, who also came off injured in that game, is set to be available.
Aston Villa team news
Midfielder John McGinn returned to action at Lille on Thursday night and could be in line for a start at Old Trafford.
Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara remain absent through injury, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the Villa lineup.
Right-back Matty Cash is also a doubt having missed the Lille match after picking up a knock in Villa’s last Premier League outting.
The Premier League’s power was supposedly emphasised by having six teams in the last 16 following the league stage, but this was something of a cold shower hosed on talk of its supremacy as City and Chelsea were heavily beaten, following on from defeats for Liverpool and Spurs on Tuesday.
Premier League leaders Arsenal needed Kai Havertz’s last-minute penalty to scrape a draw at Bayer Leverkusen, sixth in the Bundesliga, after winning eight from eight in the league phase.
Spurs were humiliated by Atletico, Liverpool lost to Galatasaray – although Newcastle United can take credit as they were only denied victory by Barcelona’s last-gasp penalty at St James’ Park.
Some big performances are required in the second leg if boasts about the supposed superpower of the Premier League are not to be rendered hollow.
Five of those teams had first legs away from home. Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs must all turn around three-goal deficits, although Arsenal and Liverpool are the best hopes of going through.
It was an unexpected downturn. Could it be that the heavy workload and intensity of the Premier League has taken the edge off performances when the Champions League comes around?
Taken on this evidence, the Premier League picture is not as rosy as some would suggest in the Champions League context.
It all looked so different from the newer league table format, which led to a clean sweep of Premier League teams, giving rise to suggestions they could dominate the latter stages.
Not so, as teams that made their way through the play-offs such as Bodo/Glimt, Atletico, Real, PSG and Galatasaray all impressed.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was at the Bernabeu, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We spoke about the England teams and dominance in Europe. Look at how easily they qualified, in the Europa and Conference leagues as well. But in the Champions League, not one English team has won.
“Manchester City were in a better place than Real Madrid. They were injury-ravaged. It looked like an under-23 side with a scattering of experience for Real. But they were clinical and well-coached and hit City on the counter-attack.”
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Igor Tudor says he believes the club will be able to avoid relegation from the Premier League, insisting “the moment will pass” after watching his side lose 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace, a result that leaves them one point above the relegation zone.
Hellberg’s chance came at a club called Kimstad in the seventh tier of Swedish football.
He jokes he was the 12th choice and was put in a charge of a side including some of his best friends.
But proving himself is something that Hellberg has subsequently done consistently during 15 years in the dugout.
Working his way up the ranks, dispelling myths about his lack of a successful playing career, he won promotions down the divisions before landing a job in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top flight, in 2021 with IFK Varnamo.
Not only did he keep the newly-promoted club up with one of the league’s lowest budgets, he then took them to fifth place the following season.
That brought him to the attention of Stockholm-based Hammarby, with a bigger budget and more pressure and expectation.
Two seasons delivered successive runners-up spots, playing the attractive and fluid possession game he has brought to England, bringing him wider attention, and he was on the radar for the vacant Swansea City job before Boro grabbed him.
But with his biggest achievement possibly just around the corner, what Hellberg is most proud of is how his coaching and personality have allowed him to keep progressing.
“My perspective is very important to have with me as I know where I came from, how hard I worked to be here and I have no playing career,” he said.
“Every player I’ve coached has been better than me, even at the lowest division.
“I’ve grown a lot of confidence from that. I had to be a good person and a good coach even for [Swedish fifth-tier] Kuddby players to respect me.
“That’s been a good journey for me to always come into a club to show I’m good at this – I’m not here because I was good at playing football.
“I’m here because I’m a good person, a good coach, good at building a structure, putting a game together and developing players. That gives me belief in the long way I work.”
BBC Sport charts the rise of exciting young forward Mateus Mane – from his childhood in Portugal, to moving to Manchester and now making waves with Wolves
Match of the Day will bring you all the best of the action and talking points from the Premier League on BBC One on Wednesday 4 March at 22:40 GMT.
The BBC Sport website will feature highlights of every Premier League match during the 2025-26 season.
At weekends, these will be available on the BBC Sport app, website and iPlayer on Saturdays and Sundays – ordinarily from 20:00 GMT.
If there is an evening match, highlights from all matches that day will be available 30 minutes after the final game of the day finishes.
Highlights of weeknight matches will be published at 22:30 GMT.
You can join Alex Scott and guests every week on Football Focus (Saturday, 11:30 GMT) for all the big talking points, reaction and interviews with players.
Don’t miss any of the goals as they go in on Final Score – starting on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Red Button from 14:45 GMT and BBC One at 16:30 GMT on Saturdays.
Arteta and Arsenal now have to hold the nerve we have all questioned.
But it does seem somewhat contradictory to slate Arsenal for their style when they fall short, then carp when they reach March in firm contention for all four major prizes.
This is what Arteta means when he talks about the “noise” surrounding title races, especially if your club has not won one since 2003/04.
And is the criticism of Arsenal‘s systematic style actually fair?
Arsenal have scored more goals (58) and conceded fewest (22) in the Premier League. Their goal difference of +36 is the highest.
Predictably, Arsenal are way ahead on goals scored from set pieces, including penalties, with 21 compared to Manchester United‘s 15 in second.
They have scored 27.6% of their goals this season from corners, with 16. Spurs are top of that particular table have scored 13 of their 38 goals from corners – a total of 34.2%.
The Gunners have had more touches in the opposition box (981) than any other team. Liverpool are second with 939. They are second with Brentford, as measured by OPTA statistics, on creating big chances. They have 87 compared to City’s 89.
This points to efficiency and success – so far – this season, even though Arteta himself accepts things must be better than the panic-stricken conclusion to the Chelsea win.
He said in the immediate aftermath: “It is certainly something we will discuss as we have to improve it and do better.
“I’m trying to stay calm, but we weren’t getting the control we wanted, especially against ten men.
“You see with every team that is winning games that everyone is suffering and the margins are so small. But it’s good.”
City have suffered similarly stressful conclusions to their two most recent league wins against Newcastle United and Leeds United, but is this not what champions – or those wishing to be champions – do?
Are Arsenal also paying the price for the elite level football served up by Pep Guardiola’s City as they won six titles under the Catalan, and their closest rivals Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, who won one before his successor Arne Slot repeated the feat in his first season?
Guardiola’s style has become the purists’ template, while Klopp’s explosive “heavy metal football” provided a thrilling counterpoint.
Arteta has made Arsenal more pragmatic in the attempt to finally bring that elusive crown to Emirates Stadium.
There is more than one way to win a Premier League title – and if Arteta’s earthy approach ends that 22-year wait, there will not be one person of an Arsenal persuasion who will care what the critics say.
There is a school of thought among some fans that a good season is one where your team still has plenty to play for come April.
Liverpool will not be winning back-to-back Premier League titles, but they will head into March still in the FA Cup and the Champions League and now in a strong position to finish in the top five, which would effectively confirm Champions League football next season.
At the end of a week in which the club confirmed record revenues of over £700m for the last accounting year, with a profit after tax of £8m, the importance of that European spot cannot be underestimated.
Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who scored Liverpool’s third goal, told Match of the Day: “The last four or five months is when teams show what they can do.
“That’s what we want. We know how important it is to qualify for the Champions League for the club and us as a team. The goal is there and we are going to do everything to qualify and be closer to the teams on top.”
Team-mate Cody Gakpo took a similar view, telling Sky Sports: “It was a good afternoon. Step by step, we’re getting [to be] a better team.
“We had a difficult moment during the season, but hopefully these last few games are the start of something beautiful.”
With consecutive games against Wolves in the league and FA Cup next week, before a trip to Galatasaray in the Champions League, the next 10 days or so will go a long way to shaping how their season ultimately is remembered.
Get through that unscathed and, whisper it quietly, Liverpool fans may well start to genuinely believe that they can do something beautiful indeed.
Villa are fortunate others have stumbled sooner and for longer this season – ensuring they have maintained a decent grip on third place until now.
Chelsea have dropped 17 points from winning positions at Stamford Bridge and 19 points overall in the Premier League this season.
They go to Arsenal on Sunday hoping to capitalise on Villa’s latest slip – before travelling to Villa Park on Wednesday for a game which could define both teams’ seasons.
Lille, in the Europa League on March 12, and a trip to Old Trafford on 15 March will then loom large for Villa.
Individual form has also plummeted, with Ollie Watkins scoring just once in 11 games – reminiscent of the spell where he scored only one goal in the opening 19 matches – while Morgan Rogers is on a similar streak.
The slump was sparked by injuries to Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans last month as Villa’s lack of depth was exposed.
Players argued between themselves as Ezri Konsa – who also had a flashpoint with fans at the end – and Amadou Onana urged Emi Buendia to leave the pitch quicker as he was substituted.
The cracks are showing and even the players are admitting to feeling the pressure.
“It does weigh on us but it shouldn’t,” said Rogers. “We deserve to be here and we should not forget that.
“Our run lately has not been as good as usual but that is the battle of the Premier League. We are going to get back to our good run of wins.
“We set our standards high and we have the ability to win every game. Obviously that is not realistic but we are playing good football as a whole and there is nothing to worry about.
“They [the next fixtures] are the games you want to play and, with so much on the line, we need to show why we deserve to be where we are.”
Stephen Bunting silenced his critics as he inflicted a third final defeat of the season on Gian van Veen to win night four of the Premier League in Belfast.
The 40-year-old has seen his place in the tournament questioned by spectators after he failed to win a game in the first three weeks.
That followed ‘the Bullet’ taking nine weeks to register a point in last year’s event – his first involvement since being a challenger in 2020.
Bunting, who has come off social media because of the criticism, registered his highest Premier League average (106.63) in his 6-4 quarter-final win over defending champion Luke Humphries.
He backed that up with another 106 average in a 6-0 clean sweep against current league leader Jonny Clayton in the semi-finals, before a clinical 6-2 win over Van Veen in the final.
“I do believe I am one of the best players in the world – I deserve to be in the Premier League,” Bunting told Sky Sports.
“Everyone was writing me off, people saying I should not be in it, but I know how hard I work behind the scenes. These are the nights I play for.
“Losing seven or eight on the bounce last year really helped me, gave me a lot of experience in this field. When you play in the Premier League, you’re playing against the best of the best. This ranks up as one of the best wins of my career.”
Van Veen, who is playing in the tournament for the first time, has impressed in making three finals in four weeks but is struggling to get over the line.
Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock, who is the other debutant in this year’s field, lost 6-2 to Van Veen in the quarters, but delighted the home crowd with the first nine-darter of this year’s tournament.
Elsewhere, there was more disappointment for world number one Luke Littler, who lost 6-3 to Clayton in the quarter-finals, meaning he has only won one game in four weeks.
Masters said: “For the first time the Premier League is going to have its own customers.
“This is a new app you can download and have on your smart TVs, your laptops, and watch 380 matches and loads of shoulder content, 24/7 channel service and it’s going to be an exciting product.
“We’re also looking to learn, to see how that might be replicated all around the world.”
Masters added “if it goes well, it may be replicated” but did not “want to predict further than that” at this stage.
The launch will coincide with the opening of a new Premier League Studios production hub in Olympia in London.
Traditional broadcast rights have been a highly lucrative source of revenue for the league, with the current domestic package split between Sky and TNT worth a record £6.7bn.
However, offering action to fans directly through their own subscription-based platforms opens up the opportunity for organisations to have greater control over the distribution of content, and potentially take in more revenue.
Hurzeler added: “There’s no surprise why he’s where he is at the moment – because he has such great discipline.
“He has such a great effort every day and he is never satisfied.
“It’s a great day for him to show us again why he is the record-holder regarding the Premier League games.”
Chris Sutton told Final Score: “Unbelievable. Still playing as an outfield player at 40 is a testament to his dedication and attitude.
“I always remember him being super fit as a youngster, but to have the career he has had, he is a really special player and still contributing.”
Sam Parkin, a team-mate of Milner’s while on loan at Swindon in 2003, added: “He came to Swindon on loan, we played about a dozen occasions together.
“He was too fit – he didn’t join in with the APRE [strength training] with the League One lads at that time. He was so professional and so driven. He was a tricky winger in those days.”
Milner has not played regularly since joining Brighton in 2023 and only three of his 16 Premier League appearances have been from the start.
Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal What: English Premier League Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK When: Sunday, February 22 at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Arsenal will look to banish their untimely bout of title race anxiety as the wobbling Premier League leaders head to bitter rivals Tottenham for the north London derby.
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Mikel Arteta’s men are in danger of blowing a commanding position in the title race after successive draws against Brentford and Wolves left them with just two wins in their last seven league matches.
The Gunners squandered the lead in both matches, with Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at bottom-of-the-table Wolves especially galling as they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser having led 2-0.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side will move two points behind Arsenal if they beat Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s new coach, Igor Tudor, faces a baptism of fire in his first game in charge of the club as he is tasked with steering Spurs out of a relegation battle.
Thomas Frank was sacked as Tottenham manager following the defeat to Newcastle earlier in February, as a dire domestic campaign has left Spurs in 16th place going into the weekend, just five points above the relegation zone.
Saka urges Arsenal to ‘get over the line’
On February 7, Arsenal players walked off the field after a convincing 3-0 home win against Sunderland with their lead in the Premier League at nine points. Then things started to go wrong.
Defiant Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is adamant his side will eventually “get over the line” and end their trophy drought.
After allowing City to overhaul them in the 2023 and 2024 title races, the north Londoners, who have not won silverware since the 2020 FA Cup, face pointed questions about their ability to handle the mounting tension.
Saka said Arsenal must silence the doubters by getting back on track at archrivals Tottenham on Sunday.
“I believe the next few years are going to be the years that we get over the line, and we’re able to win trophies and make history for this club,” Saka said. “We’re back where we belong, fighting for everything.”
Saka in action against Wolves at Molineux on February 18 [Carl Recine/Getty Images]
Arteta dismisses ‘bottlers’ talk
Arsenal’s boss rejected the term “bottlers’ ahead of Sunday’s Premier League visit to Tottenham Hotspur.
“It’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t see it like this because I don’t think anybody wants to do that as an intention,” Arteta told reporters on Friday, when asked about the term being used regarding their latest wobble in the title race.
“That’s individual opinion, perspective. You have to respect that. That’s what I said after in the press conference. You lose two points against Wolves in the manner that the game played out, you have to take it on the chin. It’s part of our role.”
“What I’m very interested in is the next one, what we are made of, what we love about this and how we write our own destiny from here.”
‘No time to find excuses’
Tottenham Hotspur’s new interim head coach Tudor says instilling the players with confidence is his most urgent task.
“First priority is to give everything the team needs in these moments. The team need, I believe, first of all, to get some confidence, to get some courage, but also, in same way, the concrete things in the pitch,” Tudor told Spursplay.
“Of course, I’m coming here knowing that situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I said from the first day here, each of us, need to give something more, something extra.”
He added: “The position of the club in this moment is one that nobody can accept. Every Tottenham fan cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that. But it’s not enough to just be aware of that.”
The 47-year-old former Juventus coach Igor Tudor has been brought in until the end of the season [File: AFP]
Tudor wants a team prepared to ‘suffer’
While Tudor is aware of the significance of a derby win over Arsenal, he is more concerned with building a strong team spirit to help fuel their survival bid.
“I understand the importance of this game. This is a derby, a north London derby,” he said.
“This is a team that is full of quality, full of talented players, with good motor engines. But my goal in these first training sessions is that we become a team, with a really right way of going to war.
“A team who want to suffer. To fight, to run, to have the right mentality. This is the start.”
Head-to-head
Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have locked horns on 212 occasions; Arsenal won 90 of the games, while Spurs won 67, and 55 were draws.
Arsenal are now unbeaten against Spurs in their last seven games. Earlier this season, Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick in November as the Gunners thrashed Tottenham 4-1 at the Emirates.
Arteta’s side also did the double over their bitter local rivals in 2024-25, winning 1-0 at Tottenham and earning a 2-1 victory at home.
Tottenham’s team news
Spurs were dealt a big blow when promising young winger Wilson Odobert ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Newcastle.
He joins a long injury list of players who will miss the derby, including James Maddison, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso and Lucas Bergvall.
Cristian Romero will serve the second of his four-game suspension after the Spurs captain was sent off in the defeat to Man United earlier this month.
Brazilian forward Richarlison is back in training after a knock and could be available for selection, while Pedro Porro faces a late fitness test as he looks to return from injury.
Predicted starting XI:
Vicario (GK); Palhinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Gray, Gallagher, Sarr, Spence; Kolo Muani, Simons; Solanke
Arsenal’s team news
Versatile midfielder Mikel Merino has undergone surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot, an injury sustained in January, and could miss the rest of the season.
Leandro Trossard is a serious doubt for the derby after he went off injured in stoppage time against the Wolves.
But Arteya has said he hopes to have captain Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz available for selection after they were struggling with injuries, and youngster Max Dowman has returned to training after an ankle problem.
And while Saka also limped off against Wolves, he is expected to be declared fit for this match.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has cast doubt on his immediate future at Selhurst Park after admitting he’s “not good enough” in the role, following the club’s 1-1 draw against Zrinjski in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs.
