Katie Stafford – BBC Sport journalist
Tue, March 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM UTC
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Wednesday’s Premier League game against Brighton at Amex Stadium (kick-off 19:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Arteta is hopeful Declan Rice is “going be OK” after being taken off with a knock during their 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday. Arteta said: “He was much better today.”
Goalkeeper David Raya is also “good to go” for Wednesday’s game, while Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard will be assessed before a decision is made on the pair.
Defender Ben White is unavailable but Max Dowman is fit to play.
The Gunners boss said they “had to do much better with the ball in in-game actions” in the late stage of the Chelsea game and his players “have to continue to learn” if they are to avoid such tight matches.
Arteta said the criticism his side have received over their set-piece tactics “is part of the job” and they “want to be the best and most dominant team in every aspect of the game”.
Despite scoring the most set-piece goals this season so far, he said he is “upset” his side have conceded from them as well in recent weeks.
On opponents Brighton: “A very good side in the way they are coached and what they want to do. They believe in what they want to do.”
Follow all of Tuesday’s Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day’s football news
Listen to live commentary of Brighton vs Arsenal on BBC Radio 5 Live from 19:30 on Wednesday.
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