{"id":4333,"date":"2026-04-10T09:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T09:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=4333"},"modified":"2026-04-10T09:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T09:14:15","slug":"arsenal-latest-title-race-key-identified-as-injury-update-threatens-selection-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=4333","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal latest: Title race &#8216;key&#8217; identified as injury update threatens selection dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_790335\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Arsenal return to Premier League action against Bournemouth on Saturday as Mikel Arteta faces selection decisions<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33742562\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mikel Arteta, head coach of Arsenal, is seen during the UEFA Champions League 2025\/26 Quarter-Final First Leg match between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Arsenal FC at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 7, 2026. (Photo by Miguel Lemos\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742562.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Sporting-Clube-de-Portugal-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Quarter-Final-First-Leg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742562.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_Sporting-Clube-de-Portugal-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Quarter-Final-First-Leg.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742562.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_Sporting-Clube-de-Portugal-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Quarter-Final-First-Leg.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742562.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Sporting-Clube-de-Portugal-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Quarter-Final-First-Leg.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mikel Arteta faces a potentially pivotal few weeks\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mikel Arteta faces a potentially pivotal few weeks<cite aria-label=\"Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Following a dramatic late victory in Lisbon on Tuesday evening, Arsenal will shift their focus back to domestic matters when Bournemouth visit the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Mikel Arteta welcomed several players back into the fold for the triumph over Sporting CP and may now face selection headaches during the crucial run-in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Kai Havertz made a decisive impact from the substitutes&#8217; bench in midweek and he&#8217;s far from the only player staking a claim for a starting berth against the Cherries. Teenage prodigy Max Dowman has already demonstrated his capability against Premier League opposition and there was considerable demand for increased involvement even before his latest European cameo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Following this weekend&#8217;s fixture, Arsenal will welcome Sporting to North London for the return leg of their European encounter. The Gunners have been thwarted in their efforts to win a domestic cup this term but they remain frontrunners in the league title race and can all but guarantee top spot if they can beat Bournemouth and then overcome nearest challengers Manchester City on April 19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arteta will want to get his selections right for those pivotal matches and has plenty of options to cycle through. Here are <a aria-label=\"our latest Arsenal linesLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/arsenal-news-title-race-injury-36990284\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">our latest Arsenal lines<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE!<\/strong><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AFCFootball.London#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> <\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><u>Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_dcb0ad\">Ferdinand gives Arteta advice on Dowman<\/h3>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Rio Ferdinand believes Max Dowman could prove pivotal for Arsenal in the title race despite his tender age. The 16 year old made a significant impact during the recent victory over Everton, in which he scored his first ever Premier League goal, and Ferdinand has suggested he could benefit from having played no part in recent title failures.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33742561\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33742561\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"LISBON, PORTUGAL - 2026\/04\/07: Maxi Araujo (L) of Sporting CP and Max Dowman (R) of Arsenal FC seen in action during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final 1st leg match between Sporting CP and Arsenal FC at Estadio de Alvalade Stadium. Final score; Sporting CP 0-1 Arsenal FC. (Photo by Hugo Amaral\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742561.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Maxi-Araujo-L-of-Sporting-CP-and-Max-Dowman-R-of-Arsenal.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742561.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Maxi-Araujo-L-of-Sporting-CP-and-Max-Dowman-R-of-Arsenal.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742561.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Maxi-Araujo-L-of-Sporting-CP-and-Max-Dowman-R-of-Arsenal.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742561.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Maxi-Araujo-L-of-Sporting-CP-and-Max-Dowman-R-of-Arsenal.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Max Dowman got another chance to impress against Sporting\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Max Dowman got another chance to impress against Sporting<cite aria-label=\"Image: SOPA Images, SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: SOPA Images, SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;He could be the key to Mikel Arteta getting Arsenal over the line, I think he&#8217;s that good,&#8221; the former England centre-back said on <a aria-label=\"Rio Ferdinand PresentsLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@rioferdinandpresents\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Rio Ferdinand Presents<\/a>. &#8220;He&#8217;s not got the mental scars that the other players have because of what they&#8217;ve gone through in previous seasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;You might need someone like him to lean on and tell him to be fearless and help us through it without giving him too much responsibility. He could be a massive key for Arsenal in that sense.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_dcb0ad\">Eze could be back ahead of schedule<\/h3>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-33742560\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"33742560\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"London, United Kingdom - March 17: Eberechi Eze of Arsenal FC injured on the ground during the UEFA Champions League 2025\/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Arsenal Stadium on March 17, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Vince Mignott\/DeFodi Images\/DeFodi via Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742560.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Arsenal-FC-v-Bayer-04-Leverkusen-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second-Leg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742560.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Arsenal-FC-v-Bayer-04-Leverkusen-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second-Leg.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742560.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Arsenal-FC-v-Bayer-04-Leverkusen-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second-Leg.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article33742560.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Arsenal-FC-v-Bayer-04-Leverkusen-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second-Leg.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Ebere Eze could have a part to play sooner rather than later after injury\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Ebere Eze could have a part to play sooner rather than later after injury<cite aria-label=\"Image: DeFodi Images, DeFodi Images via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: DeFodi Images, DeFodi Images via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ebere Eze appears set for an earlier-than-expected comeback for Arsenal. The England midfielder hasn&#8217;t featured since mid-March, when he found the net in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Original assessments indicated Eze faced up to six weeks on the sidelines with a calf problem, with the playmaker pulling out of the England squad for the March international break. He has resumed training, though, raising the possibility he may even feature this weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The \u00a368m man&#8217;s availability could present manager Arteta with team selection dilemmas between now and May. It may be a different story with Martin Odegaard, though, with the captain absent from training to leave the boss sweating.<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContentsEmbed_affiliate-contents-container__oTiet\" data-testid=\"affiliate-contents-embed\">\n<div data-testid=\"affiliate-content\" class=\"AffiliateContent_affiliate-content-container__10EX_ affiliate-content\">\n<p>Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package<\/p>\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-disclaimer__dG5ST\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateDisclaimer_affiliate-text__8nmDa\">This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM AffiliateContent_content-details__U6C2M AffiliateContent_has-content-img___LY95\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_content-image__FxPNL\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Content Image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.football.london\/article29688868.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"AffiliateContent_section-container__JMDzM\">\n<div id=\"product-description\" class=\"AffiliateContent_section-content__QCkL9\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal return to Premier League action against Bournemouth on Saturday as Mikel Arteta faces selection decisions Mikel Arteta faces a potentially pivotal few weeks(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images) Following a dramatic late victory in Lisbon on Tuesday evening, Arsenal will shift their focus back to domestic matters when Bournemouth visit the Emirates Stadium on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}