Arsenal vs Luton – LIVE!
Arsenal know they must seize the opportunity to go top of the Premier League when they take on Luton at the Emirates Stadium tonight. A win will take the Gunners a point above Liverpool, at least until the Reds host Sheffield United tomorrow, and Arsenal know any mistakes here would be disastrous for their title hopes.
Mikel Arteta’s side were impressive last time out as they picked up a point against Manchester City, producing an excellent defensive display to keep the champions quiet. A more frontal performance is expected here and Arteta has plenty of options to choose from, with Bukayo Saka expected to be fit and Gabriel Martinelli available from the start.
Luton boss Rob Edwards has suggested he could be without 13 players tonight amid an injury crisis. The Hatters gave Tottenham a scare this weekend, only losing after a late goal from Heung-min Son, but they are running out of time to pick up points. After Nottingham Forest’s victory over Fulham last night, Luton are now three points behind safety. Catch all the action below with LIVE from Standard Sport, with expert analysis from Simon Collings on the pitch.
Arsenal vs Luton latest news
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Kick-off: 7.30pm BST | Emirates Stadium
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How to watch: TNT Sports
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Arsenal team news: Saka and Martinelli set to start
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Luton team news: Long injury list
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Standard Sports Prediction: Arsenal to win
Jesus ready for a different role at Arsenal
5:55 PM , Matt Verri
Gabriel Jesus is willing to play wide for Arsenal to help them get over the line in the title race.
The Brazilian has mainly played as a number 9 since joining the Gunners in 2022, but was deployed on the left wing in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Manchester City.
Jesus has regularly been criticized for his lack of goals and has spoken this season about his desire to develop into a penalty area striker. But he says he is happy to be deployed out wide if Mikel Arteta thinks it is best for the team.
“As I am, I do everything I can to help my team,” Jesus said. “No matter where I play, I always try to do my best.
“I did it [against Manchester City]. I was very deep, normally I’m not that deep, but I had to play as a winger.
“I think I help my team to play this way. And then also, when we get there [in attack], I created some chances. I could do a little better, but football is like that sometimes.”
Edwards facing the ‘biggest challenge’ Luton has faced
17:48 , Matt Verri
Luton boss Rob Edwards has laid bare the sad extent of the club’s worsening injury crisis, which could leave them without as many as 13 players tonight.
The Hatters’ absentee list has reached double figures as at least a handful of teenage hopefuls prepare to be promoted to the matchday squad.
“We’ll probably be missing 11, 12 or 13 players,” Edwards said at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference. “We probably have four teenagers on the bench, maybe more.
“This is the biggest challenge we have ever had. Of course we had the Locks incident [captain Tom Lockyer, whose football future remains undecided after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch against Bournemouth in December]but in terms of going up against the best teams in the world in this injury-ridden period, it is.
“But we compete and it is a challenge. It will be a big challenge. We know it is a huge task, we are aware of its magnitude.
“Arsenal are in great form and we will have to defend very well. But as exhausted as we are, it is difficult for us to be at our best when we are missing so many players.”
Arsenal strengthened by returning stars
5:40 PM , Matt Verri
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal now have game changers off the bench who can make a difference in the title race.
The Gunners have almost a fully fit squad. Jurrien Timber is the only absentee and the defender is expected back before the end of the season after suffering a knee injury in August.
Arsenal had a strong bench for their draw against Manchester City on Sunday, worth almost £200m and including Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey.
And when asked if he believes Arsenal have revamped the firepower on the bench for the run-in, Arteta said: “I certainly do.
“I think we had a very strong bench [at Manchester City]. I think the players that came into the game really had a positive impact on the game.
“That’s great. That gives a lot of confidence, reassurance for the team and a lot of problems for the opponents. It’s really good.”
The stage has been set!
17:34 , Matt Verri
Just a few hours to go until kick-off in North London…
Standard sports prediction
17:26 , Matt Verri
Luton have shown that they are capable of getting on the scoresheet and really giving the bigger teams a scare.
But the Gunners are in strong form and know they can’t afford mistakes, so expect a professional performance.
Arsenal win 3-1.
Luton team news
5:20 PM , Matt Verri
Luton’s serious injury crisis extended this weekend to concerns over Tahith Chong, Alfie Doughty and Reece Burke.
Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga will not be eligible to face his parent club but is still struggling with a hamstring injury, with Chiedozie Ogbene, Amari’i Bell, Elijah Adebayo and Mads Andersen among those unavailable alongside Marvelous Nakamba, Gabriel Osho, Dan Potts and Jacob Brown.
Luton captain Tom Lockyer is also yet to make a decision on his football future after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch against Bournemouth in December.
Hatters boss Rob Edwards said he will be missing as many as 13 players against Arsenal, with at least four teenagers on the bench.
Arsenal team news
17:13 , Matt Verri
Mikel Arteta has insisted Bukayo Saka will be ready for tonight’s match with Luton.
Saka had to withdraw from the England squad a fortnight ago due to a minor muscle problem. The winger played again for Arsenal against Manchester City on Sunday, but was taken off the field twelve minutes before the end.
That led to fears that Saka could miss Wednesday’s match at home to Luton, but Arteta insisted after the match that the decision was down to fatigue.
“He’s doing well,” the manager said Tuesday morning. “We didn’t train, just recovered. We have a short, light session today to prepare for the race and we will see if he is in the best condition to start or not.
“We only think about Luton, prepare the match in the best possible way and earn the right to beat them.”
The Gunners have been boosted by the return of Gabriel Martinelli, who came off the bench against City after a few weeks’ absence with a foot injury.
And when asked if he can now play 90 minutes, Arteta said: “That’s because three days ago he was available to play against a very difficult opponent.”
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
How to watch Arsenal vs Luton
5:05 PM , Matt Verri
TV channel: In the UK, the match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage from 6.30pm BST, ahead of the 7.30pm kick-off.
Live stream: Subscribers can also watch the match live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action here, with expert analysis from our reporter Simon Collings on the ground.
Good evening!
16:58 , Matt Verri
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Arsenal vs Luton!
It’s the latest chapter in the Premier League title race, with the Gunners knowing they will be top of the table for at least 24 hours tonight with victory.
We’ve got the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which takes place at 7.30pm BST from the Emirates Stadium.
