Arsenal v Burnley LIVE: Gyokeres dropped for Havertz as Gunners aim to edge closer to Premier League title | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta explains why he selected Kai Havertz

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been talking to TNT Sports ahead of this evening’s clash.

On the selection of Kai Havertz over Viktor Gyokeres: “He [Havertz] is a different threat, has a lot of presence in the box obviously and he will have a lot of interactions with those two attacking midfielders to occupy different spaces to drag the centre-backs into different positions. We know that Kai has an incredible ability to do that.”

On Declan Rice’s new, deeper role: “With the chemistry that we have in the team and the players in and around him, there were two very specific opponents, and we had to change the setup in midfield to to be a bit more unpredictable and to create different kind of issues for the opponent. Since we've done that, Declan has played really well and he continues to play well.”

On whether they’ll chase goals to improve their goal difference: “As always, once we are ahead and we want to score more goals but we know how tough every game is. We just have to see the example of Burnley playing against Villa a few days ago [they drew 2-2]. We know the difficulty of the match and let's go step by step.”

(AP)

Luke Baker18 May 2026 19:27

Declan Rice opens up on ‘biggest challenge’ England must overcome at World Cup

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has candidly admitted he is prepared to be "hated one minute and loved the next" as England embark on their quest to secure a first World Cup trophy in 60 years.

Rice, who is on the cusp of a remarkable Premier League and Champions League double with Arsenal, is expected to play a pivotal role for the national team this summer.

Mike Jones18 May 2026 19:06

How can Man City take it down to the wire?

If they beat Bournemouth in their next game, Manchester City would be able to take the title race to the final day of the season, where Arsenal are away at Crystal Palace and Guardiola’s side host Aston Villa.

Yet Arsenal dropping points would also mean City have the title in their hands again. If Arsenal drew to Burnley and City beat Bournemouth, the teams would be level on points heading into the final day and it would come down to goal difference, currently one in the Citizens’ favour.

However, the Gunners finish their season at a Palace team who will be preparing for a European final a few days later. City, similarly, will take on a Villa side who will have played a European final four days earlier.

Mike Jones18 May 2026 18:54

Arsenal defender Ben White to avoid surgery but World Cup dream set to be over

Arsenal defender Ben White will not require knee surgery – but remains set to miss England’s World Cup campaign.

The Gunners confirmed on Tuesday that White had suffered a “significant medial knee ligament injury” during their 1-0 win at West Ham.

Mike Jones18 May 2026 18:30