Premier League news LIVE: Arsenal and Man City injury updates, Liverpool latest after Xabi Alonso blow
Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will be speaking today as the Premier League returns this weekend
The Premier League returns this weekend with one of the biggest games of the season as Manchester City host title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad.
Mikel Arteta’s side return from the international break at the top of the table as they look to win a first Premier League title in 20 years, but an immediate visit to champions City will be the ultimate test of their ambitions.
Arsenal have not won at the Etihad in nine years, as both teams await crucial injury updates ahead of the match. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have yet to train after the international break, while John Stones and Kyle Walker have been ruled out after both picked up injuries while on England duty.
Liverpool will have the chance to return to the Premier League summit when they host Brighton on Sunday, but the Reds have been dealt a blow after Xabi Alonso, their leading candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp, was ruled out of contention for the Anfield job.
Alonso has since confirmed that he will remain with Bayer Leverkusen, with the Spaniard also turning down the chance to manage Bayern Munich. Follow all the latest Premier League team news and injury updates from today’s press conferences as the top-flight returns this weekend
Premier League latest news from press conferences
Premier League press conference times today:
Newcastle - 0900
Manchester United - 1200
Manchester City - 1230
Crystal Palace - 1300
Tottenham - 1300
Wolves - 1300
Arsenal - 1330
Brentford- 1330
Liverpool - 1330
Aston Villa - 1330
West Ham - 1330
Why Arsenal are finally ready to beat Man City and conquer their house of horrors
To be the best, you have to beat the best. It is a familiar theory. It appears to be underpinning Arsenal’s planning, their strategy for the season. Or, even when the best are unbeatable, at least draw 1-1 with them.
The fact Arsenal topped the table for 248 days has been relegated to a subplot in last season’s tale of Manchester City’s treble. It did not have the inevitability sometimes attributed, but City retained the status of title favourites for virtually all of those 248 days. The two most significant came against Arsenal: 3-1 and 4-1 victories were emphatic, a brilliantly brutal illustration of the destructive gifts of Erling Haaland and, still more so, Kevin de Bruyne, whose 167 minutes against the Gunners produced three goals and two assists.
And take those two results away and Arsenal got 84 points and City 83. It isn’t as simple as that, Pep Guardiola’s team dropping five points after the title was won, three of them with a second-string side. The eventual standings could nevertheless be used to argue that Arsenal were better at beating the rest.
Why Arsenal are finally ready to beat Man City and conquer their house of horrors
The Gunners have evolved since two chastening defeats to the champions last season, with Mikel Arteta’s side now more versatile and physically stronger for a pivotal test at the Etihad
Liverpool to omit Xabi Alonso from managerial shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp
Xabi Alonso is not expected to be on Liverpool’s managerial shortlist this summer after they concluded he is not likely to be available.
Bayer Leverkusen have pronounced themselves confident of keeping the former Liverpool midfielder, who has taken them to the brink of a first Bundesliga title, and though Alonso is also a target for Bayern Munich, the belief at Anfield is that he will not be on the market this year.
Alonso, a 2005 Champions League winner during his five years as a Liverpool player, had been seen as the favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp, who is standing down at the end of the season, but not by the Merseyside club.
It means Liverpool are likely to look elsewhere with Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim of interest and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi a manager the incoming sporting director, Richard Hughes, had wanted previously during his time at Bournemouth.
The latest from Richard Jolly
Liverpool make Xabi Alonso decision ahead of summer managerial shortlist
The Spaniard was seen as the favourite to succeed Klopp at Anfield, but now looks set to stay at Bayer Leverkusen beyond the current campaign
Good morning
The Premier League returns this weekend with one of the biggest games of the season as Manchester City host title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad.
Mikel Arteta’s side return from the international break at the top of the table as they look to win a first Premier League title in 20 years, but an immediate visit to champions City will be the ultimate test of their ambitions.
Arsenal have not won at the Etihad in nine years, as both teams await crucial injury updates ahead of the match. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli missed the international break, while John Stones and Kyle Walker both picked up injuries while on England duty.
Liverpool FC will have the chance to return to the Premier League summit when they host Brighton on Sunday, but the Reds have been dealt a blow after Xabi Alonso, their leading candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp, was ruled out of contention for the Anfield job.
Follow all the latest Premier League team news and injury updates from today’s press conferences as the top-flight returns this weekend
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