Arsenal

A final word from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who was asked how much of a physical risk it is to play a 16-year-old like Max Dowman in the men's game: "It is what it is. I think we discussed that when he made his debut in pre-season against Newcastle - it was a very physical game. If a play that weighs 95kg/100kg comes in at 35kph into Max and hits a bone, I don't know what happens.

"When we talk about protecting him, when you ask me why he's not playing every week when he's done really well against Everton - we need to put some perspective into every context into the player that we have which is tremendous and leave it there and let him grow and protect him, all of us."

Arsenal

More from Mikel Arteta on the response from football fans with regard to his reaction to Max Dowman's red card: “I haven't seen the reaction to my reaction, whether it is positive or negative. But you need to understand the context and the relationship that I have with him and what we discussed just before we went out.

"But, I don't know. You can have another reaction. If you see the reaction of my father and my mother with me some days you might say ‘I don’t like the reaction’. For me it was the best reaction to be who I am.

"If you want the best reaction and the beautiful one... you want to see his team-mates when they have to play with 10? You want to see that? What do you expect?

"And the England one? They are his age. They are 16 - the same. What is the reaction? That is the level and that is the reaction.

"Whether it is right or wrong, that is the reaction. And the reaction when I don't win, you want to know what my reaction is? I am [expletive] off big time.

"So, we need to be ready for that. This is the environment and this is the reality, otherwise we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League and this is the level.

"We look after him so much that you cannot imagine. But at the same time we are going to demand from him like everybody else because he needs to earn the right to play. Because the other boys, what are they going to say to me? You need to be fair."

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on the club's appeal being turned down for Max Dowman's red card: "Very disappointed to be fair, especially with the reckless tackles he received. His reaction is minimum in relation to the action. I'm disappointed that it has not been overturned."

On the "victim" being punished in this situation: "It is what it is. We have put every argument on the table to make a case for it. The action is so evident. Obviously we have a very different opinion and on top of that I think you have to read the context of the player, the age and what happened previously.

"It could have been really bad. We are lucky today that he hasn't had a broken foot, that is clear."

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Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Noni Madueke's availability for Sunday: "We do not know yet. We have a training session tomorrow so we will see if he can complete the full session and after that we will know if he is available."

On the severity of Bukayo Saka's issue: "He needed another scan to see the amount and if the tendon was touched and how badly it was touched and afterwards, we will know more about it."

Will he be ruled out for England duty?: "I don't know. It looks like it, but we will have to wait and see next week."

On Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis: "They all trained today, they will train tomorrow and if everything is OK then they will be available."

Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on his reaction to Max Dowman's sending off: "My reaction comes from a moment of heat and extreme frustration because I know the consequences of that, especially for Max. It is something we discussed just before we went out because it is not the first time it has happened, it happened another time [earlier] this month with England [Under-19s]. And it will continue to happen because of the way he plays and the way he attracts opponents and that's it.

"We have to be able to tell each other what we think because he is 16 and we have to be very protective of him, but at the same time very straight with him about what we expect of him towards the team, individuals and the club."

On his relationship with Dowman now: "There are no issues. We had a talk yesterday. I have done it. That's why I am so protective of these things, especially with young players because we have made these mistakes and you know how much you can get punished and how much it can change what happens next. It's not the first time it has happened so we need to put an end to it very, very quickly."

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta added that his reaction towards Max Dowman came "in a moment of heat and extreme frustration".

"It is something we have discussed," the Arsenal boss said. "It is not the first time it has happened and it happened [earlier] this month with England.

"We need to tell each other the things as they are. We need to be very protective with him but also very straight with him with what we expect."

We'll bring you the full quotes as soon as we have them.

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has now spoken to the media and, after Max Dowman's red card in midweek, he has warned the Gunners' teenage winger Max Dowman that playing professional football at the top level is not like a trip to a theme park.

"This is the environment, this is the reality," said Arteta. "We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League.

"We look after him so much but at the same time we are going to demand from him like everybody else because he needs to earn the right to play. Because the other boys, what are they going to say to me? You need to be fair.. and when we don't win, I am [expletive] off big time."

FPL Heisenberg
Fantasy Premier League expert with seven top-30k finishes

Yes, absolutely. Erling Haaland (£15.7m) remains the standout captaincy option for me, even after Manchester City's first Premier League defeat of the season.

He scored again against Aston Villa in gameweek eight and continues to be the player I'd back to deliver the biggest points haul in any given match.

This doesn't mean you have to captain him every single gameweek of course - there will be opportunities to look elsewhere at times. However, he's the only reliable premium asset in the game right now.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City knocked Brighton out of the Carabao Cup on penalties on Wednesday but I don't think we learned too much because both sides made so many changes.

I backed both teams to win last week - and was wrong both times - but I felt City played well against Aston Villa and were a bit unlucky to lose, and the same applied to Brighton in their defeat against Liverpool - they definitely had enough chances to get something from the game.

I am covering this game for Radio 5 Live. There should be some goals in it, and I can see Erling Haaland getting a couple of them.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca on the concept of 'Big Six' clubs still existing: "There are, every season, I think for instance Aston Villa, Newcastle, in the last seasons, they have always been there.

"I think every season you can have one or two surprises, they are there, but now the level is so similar that you can drop points against any team, you can win against any team, so it is a more similar level."

Manchester City

While Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca wouldn't comment on Jack Grealish missing training at Everton, he did say he still thinks the on-loan City midfielder "is a good guy, a good boy with a big heart. I still think that."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca on the possibility of Rayan Cherki being a future leader at the club: "Can be, yeah, can be. But I think it is important that all the players step up in these kinds of things, in terms of leadership, and it is very good from Rayan for sure."

On Cherki and Phil Foden, he added: "It's very important because it is one more weapon for us. They can play together for sure. Depends a little bit on the game, but no doubt they are both fantastic players."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca on if he sees Brighton as contenders for a Champions League place next season: "I think it is still too early for all the clubs but for sure, they are doing very good.

"It is a team that in any game they score many goals - three, four, five goals. They create many chances against any team. It is going to be a tough game but where they can be at the end of the season, I don't know."

He added: "They're doing very good, on the ball and off the ball. They are very aggressive, man-to-man oriented in all the games. They attack very good with so many players - full-backs, wingers, attacking midfielders - so it is going to be a tough game."

Manchester City

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca on team news: "They are all available, [apart from] Antoine Semenyo. The rest, they are all available."

The likes of Erling Haaland, Elliot Anderson, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Gianluigi Donnarumma were left out of the squad altogether for Wednesday's Carabao Cup win over Brighton.

On Semenyo, Maresca added: "He is good, he is in a good mood. He is inside the building doing recovery sessions, all the therapy that he needs, but again it is too early now [to discuss his return]."

Aadam Patel
Football Reporter

Sunday will be Liverpool's fourth game at Anfield in the space of two weeks and having won the first three, there's a feel-good factor around the club right now.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored the winning goal when these two sides met last season but he hasn't played since the game against Brentford on 17 October due to injury and Andoni Iraola will likely be able to give an update on his fitness.

We'll also get an update on Victor Munoz, who hasn't played since the Brentford game.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport Arsenal reporter at Arsenal's training ground

It's a big news conference for Mikel Arteta, who will be addressing the Max Dowman red card for the first time since it happened on Tuesday.

Arsenal tried to have the red card overturned but the appeal has been dismissed.

Arteta said words to Dowman as he went off and it will be interesting to see how he reflects on what happened the other night.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter

There is nothing that creates scrutiny quite like not winning football matches.

Xabi Alonso is under nowhere near the same pressure as his opposite number, Michael Carrick, before Chelsea host Manchester United on Saturday.

However, a home league defeat by Tottenham has brought increased scrutiny, with questions raised about his tactics, while a penalty shootout loss at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup added to his problems.

The latter result on Wednesday was notable for who did not play: namely, Estevao Willian.

The Brazilian teenager is regarded as one of the world's brightest young attacking talents but has played only 172 minutes for Chelsea since the start of the season, the equivalent of less than two full matches.

Given the cup exit and no European competition, there are now even fewer matches available to Estevao and others on the fringes of Chelsea's large 27-man squad.

It is a curious situation that has driven discussion after travelling supporters on Merseyside chanted his name despite Estevao remaining an unused substitute.

Furthermore, Alonso's injury concerns are mounting.

Defender Maxence Lacroix is expected to be out until after the international break, joining Emiliano Martinez, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Reece James and Pep Chavarria on the sidelines.

More worryingly for Chelsea, Alonso cast doubt over the fitness of midfielder Moises Caicedo and Malo Gusto following a "physical" match against Liverpool.

There will be plenty to discuss when Alonso speaks to the media shortly.

One of the biggest other games this weekend sees the struggling Manchester United visit a Chelsea side that lost at home to Tottenham last week and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties at Liverpool in Wednesday.

Image source, Getty Images