Arsenal supporters finally have the team news they have been waiting for ahead of tonight’s massive Premier League clash against Burnley at the Emirates Stadium.
The stakes could hardly be bigger for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Victory tonight would move the Gunners five points clear of Manchester City before Pep Guardiola’s side face Bournemouth tomorrow evening, meaning Arsenal have the chance to pile enormous pressure on their title rivals with just two league matches remaining after tonight.
With injuries continuing to impact the defensive unit, particularly at right-back following Ben White’s season-ending injury and Jurrien Timber still remaining unavailable, much of the focus before kick-off surrounded how Arteta would set up his back line.
There has also been huge interest in whether Viktor Gyokeres would start up front, while supporters have debated whether Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli would get the nod on the left wing.
Confirmed Arsenal Starting XI
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
🧱 Mosquera into our defence
🔙 Odegaard returns to the XI
⚡️ Havertz on the chargeA big opportunity awaits – COME ON YOU GUNNERS!! ✊
🤝 Presented by @deel
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 18, 2026
Big Night Under The Emirates Lights
The atmosphere inside the Emirates is expected to be electric tonight as Arsenal prepare for their final home Premier League fixture of the season.
Burnley may already be relegated, but Arteta will know there can be absolutely no complacency with the Premier League title race still alive and Manchester City waiting closely behind.
The Gunners have shown resilience throughout the campaign and now have another enormous opportunity to edge closer to a first league title since the Invincibles season of 2003/04.
All eyes now turn towards kick-off in North London.
Happy with the team selection Gooners?
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Yes I’m happy.
Surprised that he starts Haverts. With the attacking midfield, you would think that will play to Gokyores strength. COYG
It’s actually a back 3 with Ricky and Kai as wing backs and Eze at false 9.
MG, back 3 😂😂😂😂
Maybe Arteta wants to maximize the scoring chances in attacking set-pieces by fielding three towering players i.e. Havertz, Mosquera and Calafiori
Gyokeres rarely contested in aerial duels during corner situations
I like this. It’s an attacking and double creative midfield. We should be through with the game by half time.
Though set up with back 3 and wing backs and false 9, its plan to take it long as possible without Burnley scoring, so if we score more chance that one goal wins it for us.
A very attacking team, and a strong bench.
Phew!! He hasn’t done anything silly. Haverz as striker? Not sure, we will see, he will have to deliver. Arteta probably thinks there will not be much space in the Burnley end. Haverz needs to be clinical. Apart from that, just go out and get 6 goals, without reply. A big win needed, to put pressure on City.
Take that back, just noticed, no MLS. THAT makes it very attacking, so lets attack.
“6 goals, without reply”
You do like to post crazy stuff. Are you showing Burnley enough respect. Man City lucky to escape with one nil win few weeks ago.
Pep nearly resulted to pulling his hair out.
He has no hair to pull out?
That’s a bit catty, Reggie.
Fact!
I agree. We need to take Burnley very seriously and not disrespect them. If we score a few/several goals great but focus on a win first
Burnley have drawn with Villa, United, Liverpool, Bournemouth. So we should not take them lightly
@Stephanie
Exactly. They just got relegated and more than likely will be looking to inflict some pain or at the very least make it hard on us.
Don’t people watch Premier League? Did they not watch Man City struggle against Burnley just weeks ago?
This is a Premier League game, it will be hard for us this evening, even if we do get the three points.
Spot on, a 1-0 win would do but let’s have a fast start and hopefully everyone is on their A-game
Lucky to escape while they posted an XG greater than 3 lmao
Love it.
If our forwards struggle we Got Martinelli and Gyokeres on the bench.
COYG!!!
Glad to see no experimenting at right back.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS.
Love the midfield COYG
Evening Sue,
I’m nearly ready to put that for sale sign on my sofa, just three games to go. 😂👍
Good evening, Derek 😄 That sofa has never seen so much action as it has the last month or so 🤣👍 I’m buzzing for tonight – enjoy the match
Let’s win it all for your Dad ❤️🤍
Sue,
No doubt if we score my Dad will be cheering from somewhere. 😂👍
🙏😊
Surprised to see Eze in the starting eleven and the unbalanced nature of our midfield.Contrary to the views of most Arsenal fans, i don’t think Burnley will be a pushover by any means, and in Tchaona they have a player who could cause us trouble.However, providing we can keep eleven men on the pitch, i expect us to win.
We need to win convincingly today to better prepare for the palace match. Right now City have the better goal diff so assuming we both win with similar goal margins then if City score 1st in the wkend the pressure will be immense on the players as City would be 1st in the moment. Win 3-0 today and we start the palace 1st and stay 1st even if we are drawing and City score. Bournemouth are in superb form right now and i see little chance of a large win fr City if they even win.
Correction *4-0
Eze and Odegaard (both on) it suggest we intend to open this lot up as early as in 1st half: Also this game is the biggest PL hurdle yet for most of our players > COYG!
ARSENAL vs Kyle Guardiola Walker. COYG!!!
The most important thing today is a win. Every other thing is a bonus. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Yes. It’s been a long weekend waiting for kick off. But lots of fans need to calm down a bit now. Playing imbalance of creators instead of ball winners comes with dangers. Conceding first against low block still has to be a worry. Our team sheet means we need a fast start, or we could get into a mess.
If we are behind, Just remember it’s not over till the last whistle.
Titles are decided by crazy things, Martinelli scored ONE premier league this season, Yes one and that one goal in the 93rd min vs City is what keeps us ahead of them today. Who knows maybe today Mosquera scores his 1st goal to open the scoring.
We are playing HOPELESS. It’s like home to Bournmuff all over again.
Great team.
COYG, i want this premier league title soooo much.
Love my boys
Why is Haverts playing instead of our top scorer????
Trossard’s petulance sometimes worries me. He should 100% be locked in
Get Havertz off now .He is rubbish
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Luckily noone heard you 🙂
Just checked Burnley last games they concede lot of goals but mostly after 40 min. Might take some time to crack them.
You know 👍
Not if you don’t shoot
How about a header…
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🙂
Has to be better than this. Football by numbers? Too slow and poor quality from Eze and Odergaard. Haverz so far a waste of space.
King Kai 🤩
Thank God for that
COYG keep on going
Yesssss, now time to bury this game and bring is home.
Right now pick the pace up. Great finish. Thank god for dead balls😂
That’s 1…
Havertz!!! Go Arsenal
FGS Don’t sit back now, we need the goals.
We don’t even have three points yet. It’s very dangerous scoreline.
You’re right!
I’m very nervous atm
1-0 can turn in to a disaster
Let’s hope that we score an early goal in second half
We need to score a second in the next 20 minutes imo, Or it brings Burnley into the game like we allowed West Ham into it. We’ve wasted time and possession I think, against a very average defence and keeper.
👍👍👍
After 30 minutes we started to get in the game.
2nd half, please start with a blitz. Give it all for 10-15 minutes and I believe we will break them.
NO SITTING BACK.
Havertz misunderstood a couple of good through balls from his teammates, but his aerial ability is very useful again in attacking set-pieces
If Lewis-Skelly played instead of Eze, Calafiori could’ve got forward more often and might’ve scored or assisted from the final-third. But maybe Arteta wanted a more balanced midfield since there had been too many left-footed players in the starting line-up
I think Eze and Trossard will be substituted after the sixtieth minute
“Try, Try and Kai”. On other day those were pens.
It has to be said Burnley are poor. We are not moving the ball from the back quick enough. There is goals in this game, if Eze wakes up and Odergaard provides better quality. I do not think the front 5 are on the same wavelength. Personally I would take Eze off and put MLS on. I know he has scored but Haverz is just strolling around. Lets not let this game pass us by. Burnley have very little to offer.
Good game so far, I love the constant press and attack a bit unlucky with some game play and Saka should have gotten a pen. This is more like it. We need to get more more goals before Arteta takes off Eze or odegaard to go into his ‘defensive control’ style.
But so far so good.
COYG.
Is it part of a master plan Havertz isn’t no9 but in the Saka position? We’ve already got a Saka playing that. Can’t he go other way and bother Trossard?
Haverts and Eze has till 60mins to the moqct the game with goals, if not I expect MA to bring in MLS and Goykeres.
I expect MA to bring on Zubimendi.
60mil down the drain…… Kai havertz scores again….. Set piece piece ole ole💪 4 more and we coast on. Now burnely will need to come out which opens up nicely for the attackers. We need to shot more though and please on target🎯
TALKSPORT says
*Pep is likely to be leaving end of this campaign.
It’s The Italian Job.
But Mareska will quickly get City into a good groove.
Rodri and Silva will be a big miss to their midfield.
Yes…
I also heard Mereska will take the helm…
We shall see.
OT, the Daily Mail are reporting that Pep is quitting at the end of this season. Maybe he knows the outcome of the 115 charges.
From my point of view, it was a penalty. I do not see how it wasn’t given. Saka was going to tap it in. The only thing is they think Saka kicked his foot that was wrapped around Saka from the defender and thats where the doubt is. Its one of those. If given, it wouldn’t have been chalked off. Because it wasn’t, it wasn’t going to be given. But we move on and we have our first goal of many.
If it was other end Gary Neville will be going “oh oh Oh! He doesn’t get any of the ball.”
Soon as he is Manchester Mare and not in football the better.
We need another pls, no sitting back and defending.
We need to work their defence and keeper more than this!
Burnley is going to come out hot…All Jackson has to say is” These guys are the reason we got relegated” and it’s on…🤣
Eze you’re much too casual at times… there are times you do need to work harder when we’re out of possession.
Good goal by havertz but he’s not clicking with the others making our final play worse. We need that 2nd goal quick.
Zubi for Eze?! Releases Rice forward
Only the seat belt marks are missing from tonight’s Burnley shirt. Sky blues!
Arteta needs to make a sub this doesn’t look good.
We can’t sit back on a goal
There is not a lot of quality out there? Its poor fair in open play.
What a surprise neville wants an Arsenal player sent off
It was awful.
Lucky there, that was awful.
Luckily Havertz’ force was minimal…but he was playing with fire high tackling the way he did… the nutter 🙁
Take off Havertz he looks tired
Havertz and Arsenal were lucky to avoid the red card
Yep, that looked like a red card to me. Varsenal.
I am afraid the midfield of Eze and Odergaard has not worked. Lack of quality from Odergaard and a lack of anything from Eze.
It looks like another nail-biter
*Declan (or anybody…)
PLEEZE Score the goal that…
puts this tie to bed
Burnley will score.As usual where is the urgency?
Hincapie has definitely taken squeaky bum time too literally.
Rubbish football once again. Very lucky with VAR this season.
Playing home to a relegated team with no manager, last home game and you are playing like that.
Going to get thrashed by PSG playing like this.
Stfu! We won, that’s all that matters at this point of the season.
Yet you cry when VAR goes against us. You don’t have to watch every game with rose tinted glasses. What is wrong with giving an unbiased opinion?
OMG
7 more minutes of my heart thumping fast
We would have been penalized dearly if it were not Burnley. Our play is so out of steam. Arteta, with the league title, shall drastically change our attack style. An attack minded coach shall join the team. Maybe after yeas of bad luck, Karma is finally on our side this season. God help us.
Oof, gonna be a long 7 minutes
How much is for injuring an Arsenal player? Bracelets? If expensive watches for points. City 130
Old man Walker still has his pace…Good on him. 🤣
10 minutes of extra time! Good lord.
They don’t make it any easier on our cardiovasculars.
But the win is the most important thing.
One win down, one to go! COYG!
1 nil to the Arsenal. One more to go. Hold tight fellas.
No bring it big beautiful Bournemouth!
I really hope Bournemouth do the job tomorrow because I do not trust we will win at Palace playing like that. Burnley were poor and we were not far behind. A win and its over to City. But PLEASE Bournemouth save us the bare knuckle ride of Sunday. I do not want it all.
Why did we play like that? Nerves?
We refused to pass forwards. Many times a forward ball was on and we refused it. If it was nerves, we are in for a bumpy ride at Palace, who are WAY better than Burnley.
Yeah. No forward balls. Created very little.
Didn’t test their keeper.
Saka and Ode didn’t look 90min fit. Rice holding his buttocks and stretching his back. Trossard done his back in to. It’s a lack of physical fitness around the players I think.
Yes
We can’t play like this away at Crystal Palace
Very relieved
On to the last one , set piece does it again. One more win Gunners.
We have perfected a system to boost the business of all psychiatrist, cardiologist, and even dentists for excessive nail biting. Our results are full of hopes yet the process is cruelly unrelenting. My mind is full of joy while contending with the anxiety of one goal difference and the anger from our play against a relegating team at home.
Terrible performance again. Hope Bournemouth help, cause I have 0 confidence we’ll beat palace.
Nerves is real. A number of players missing today. Saka was non existent in the 2nd half. Eze disappeared, even Rice was struggling. What matters most is for us to get over the line, not a time for beautiful football
We are not demanding beautiful football. We are not greedy. This Burnley side was pretty poor, why is a 2.0 win beyond us? At home.
What a bunch of thugs, glad to see them go down and now I’m hoping for Wolves to beat them on the final day and send them to the bottom.
BB, yes they were!
Good game but not great we kept Burnley mostly in Thier half and gave them nothing, the constant press made them effectively rely solely on long balls which saliba and gabriel dealt with perfectly. Some players were not up to par like Eze, Saka and havertz even mosqera was shaky at times but Burnley couldn’t capitalise because of the press that kept them in Thier half. Now we wait on Bournemouth to put this all to bed by derailing city115.
Congratulations in advance , we are champions.
COYG
Game won. 3 points in the bag. People still moaning. SMFH 🙄
Emmanuel Jeremiah
Headers are the most reliable Arsenal weapons of this season. Brought us until the 37th week. One more game!
Saka plays poorly with Mosquera compared to with Ben White or Timber.
For the jealous and rivals, seeing Arsenal see out back to back games by a solitary goal is really really aching that would deprive sleep. Including City people and the master!
I went to my local adidas store after this game and got another jersey of ours. Come on, just one more game to go, you can do it.