Arsenal make the trip to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland on Saturday night and they have received a big boost in the midst of an injury crisis for the Gunners
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s and Neil Docking
16:10, 08 Nov 2025
Mikel Arteta’s table-topping Arsenal return to Premier League action today
Arsenal will hope to maintain their unbeaten run as they travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland on Saturday evening.
The Gunners have been in blistering form recently, going 13 matches without defeat and recording eight successive clean sheets. Mikel Arteta’s team are sitting six points clear at the top of the Premier League. After a 3-0 triumph against Slavia Prague in the Champions League, the north London club are also level on points in this competition with fellow undefeated sides Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
Arteta recently praised his world-class squad following the victory over Slavia Prague – despite a mounting injury crisis that has deprived them of stars such as Viktor Gyokeres. He said: “It shows the consistency we have, we dominated the defensive part of the game against a team that is very difficult to play against. Tonight we made four changes from the weekend and they all performed really well. Overall, a really productive evening.”
Here’s all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium.
Forgotten striker returns
Gabriel Jesus is finally back training with the first team(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Gabriel Jesus has made his return to Arsenal training after 10 months out with injury, reports the Mirror.
The overlooked forward has been absent from the first team due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture against Manchester United in January.
At the time, Jesus had bagged six goals in seven matches for the Gunners and was left heartbroken by the setback. Now, the 28 year old is back in training as his side gear up for the clash against Sunderland.
In footage of the training session shared on the club’s social media, one thrilled supporter posted on X: “Jesus is back for Christmas!”
During his individual training sessions whilst recovering from injury, Jesus played down any suggestion of a swift return to the starting eleven.
Speaking in October, the 28-year-old said: “My knee is responding well. I’m looking forward to being around the team again soon, to come back to do what I love to do.
Mikel Arteta is pleased to see Gabriel Jesus return(Image: Getty Images)
“It’s been too long. An injury like this, one that is so long, you split up the recovery periods into smaller timings. So now I’m at the stage where I need to hold myself back a little bit because I’m doing great work outside on the pitches, but it’s tricky because I need to not rush myself too hard over the line.
“When you can see the end, it’s important you don’t push too hard, keep my feet on the floor, and then as soon as the time comes, I will be ready.”
But now, the forward could be moving ever closer to a much-anticipated comeback as he acknowledged supporters’ messages on social media.
In a video, Jesus said: “Hello, Gooners. Yeah, it’s me here. Second day out with the boys. So happy and I cannot wait to see you at the Emirates. Take care.”
Arteta is also delighted with Jesus’ progress in recovering from injury, stating: “Now is about making the steps day by day, in a different surrounding. Now he has competitive players around him, see how he copes with that. He is full of energy. I love the reaction of his team-mates.”
Arsenal youngster axed from squad
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been left out of the latest England squad(Image: Getty Images)
Myles Lewis-Skelly was dropped from Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad after receiving a previous caution about insufficient playing time.
The promising teenager is amongst several shocking exclusions from the selected group, including Morgan Gibbs-White and Ollie Watkins.
Lewis-Skelly featured in the Three Lions’ international setup in October, but manager Tuchel cautioned the 19-year-old that greater effort would be required to remain in the setup. Speaking last month, the German explained: “To just be a good citizen in camp will not be enough over the course of a year.
“He was a very good player in camp, a very good team-mate in camp. But being a good team-mate in camp may not be good enough to stay the whole year with us.
“You have to perform at club level on a regular basis. In the last camp he got the credit, that I was convinced we have to take care of him and nominate him because we accelerated his career. It was our responsibility after we called him last season. So we stick to this.”
Lewis-Skelly has been overlooked for the latest England squad and appears to be outside Arteta’s first-team plans. The defender has clocked up merely 86 minutes this season, with Riccardo Calafiori getting the nod ahead of him at left-back.
Speaking about his player’s England snub, manager Arteta said: “Yes, for sure. We are here to support and to help each other and give a good perspective of the situation. So don’t look at the one moment of what is happening for you because maybe today it is happening for the right reason.”
