Here is every word from Mikel Arteta’s pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s FA Cup clash with Portsmouth

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference before clash with Portsmouth

Mikel Arteta spoke to the press ahead of his Arsenal side’s FA Cup third-round clash with Portsmouth. The Gunners will not, as they have done in previous seasons, wear their ‘No More Red’ shirts; instead, they are expected to wear the usual red and white.

The club are committed to supporting the cause which aims to tackle the problems surrounding knife crime, however. Arteta spoke about the possibility of welcoming back Kai Havertz to the group after a spell on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Piero Hincapie who came off against Liverpool might have suffered a potential hamstring problem, it is understood. However, Arteta was speaking in the wake of the Liverpool match on Thursday night with little clarity at the time able to be given.

Here is every word from the press conference:

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You mentioned previously in a press conference that you had a game in mind for when Kai might come back, can I just ask you, is this the game that you see maybe for Kai to come back?

If everything goes well, I think so. I think he’s going to be in the squad again in the next few days. He trains well, he’s increased his load, he’s coping with that really well. And it will be great if we can have him.

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Is there a feeling that maybe sometimes you need to temper expectations on the outside, when a player has missed so much football, about what they might bring when they do come back?

Yes, but I understand this is the level as well. And when a player has the chance to put our shirt on and compete for us, you know that the demands are excellence – and that’s it. Kai is aware of that.

Last time you went to Portsmouth, March 2020, you probably had Covid…

I don’t know what it was, but I wasn’t feeling great, to be fair.

What do you remember about that period, because obviously it was the start of an incredible time for the whole world?

The moment that we scored the goal, I was desperate to go home because I was shaking and not feeling great. So that’s what I remember. It’s been a while!

There’s all this talk around the team, that final step of winning trophies, obviously, you won the FA Cup that year. Do you feel you get the credit you deserve for winning that trophy, particularly in those circumstances, because it was such a surreal time?

I don’t know. At the end, I think we have to get judged, and we get judged for what we do today – and last week is not important. We will get judged for what we are able to do at the end of the season. One thing is the trophies for our football clubs, and many other things that you have to do in a football club, especially in the situation we are in. I don’t expect that, I’m really happy where I am with the people that I work with, and hopefully, at least they know that we will give our very best to try to win as much as possible.

Given you lifted that trophy in an empty stadium, how much does that make you want to lift a trophy with your own fans?

And the big ones as well. We want that one for sure – and the big ones. And that’s what we are chasing, that’s the purpose of this team.

Do you think you’ll need to make many changes for this cup tie?

Well, let’s see who is available and if some players can be back for that game. But we have to manage [it], obviously, because what is coming again in the next few weeks. I think we have four away games in different competitions, and we have to make sure that everybody is participating, we continue to perform and win games. And we’re going to have to manage that one.

Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal are all expected to maintain an interest in Marc Guehi, whether he moves this winter or waits until his contract expires in the summer

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi

Liverpool legend John Barnes says Marc Guehi should pick the Reds over Manchester City or Arsenal, with all three clubs — and several big hitters around Europe — in for the center-back.

Manchester City has emerged as a contender to sign Guehi in the next few weeks amid an injury crisis at the back for Pep Guardiola, with Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner admitting that his club would accept a large enough bid for its captain just a few months after his transfer to Liverpool broke down at the last minute.

Guehi looked all set to move to Anfield in the summer before Crystal Palace pulled the plug because it hadn’t signed a replacement. The player has since made clear, though, that he won’t sign a contract extension.

READ MORE: Liverpool confirms transfer agreement with talks underway for another dealREAD MORE: Liverpool injury news and possible return dates after Conor Bradley setback

As a result, Guehi will leave either in this transfer window or the next. Clubs outside of the Premier League can speak with him right now about a pre-contract agreement ahead of the summer.

“I’d love to see Guehi join Liverpool,” Barnes told Covers this week. “January is never the time to make a transfer; it’s mid-season and it’s not healthy for players or clubs to make changes halfway through a campaign.

“Having said that, for Crystal Palace, letting Guehi leave would make sense because they aren’t in any danger in terms of their Premier League position, and this will be the last opportunity they get to bring in some money for Guehi.

Liverpool have firm competition to sign Marc Guehi this January

“Selhurst Park chiefs might decide to cash in on Guehi now to get £20m-£30m, rather than lose him for free in the summer.

“But given Arsenal have a lot of depth in the center-back position and Manchester City, aside from their injury issues, are not lacking talent in that area, Liverpool would make sense as a perfect next club for Guehi.”

Guehi has been very professional for Crystal Palace since his move to Liverpool broke down. The number of options available to him has only grown since Sept. 1.

“I think Marc will stay, but if Marc says ‘I want to leave’, and a club pays massive money — with five months left of a contract — every player will leave if you’re playing for a club like Crystal Palace,” Glasner said earlier this week.

Mikel Arteta could start 16-year-old in third-ro

Arsenal are expected to rotate when they travel to take on Portsmouth in the FA Cup.

It is the first of four away games in four competitions in the space of nine days and Mikel Arteta is set to make use of the strong squad available to him.

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That could mean a first start for Eberechi Eze since the Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace last month, while Noni Madueke is also in contention to come into the side.

Arsenal hope to have Kai Havertz in the squad but he is not believed to be ready to start, so Gabriel Jesus will likely lead the line unless Arteta opts to keep trying to play Viktor Gyokeres into form.

The Gunners will again be without Riccardo Calafiori, with Arteta confirming that this match will be “too early” for him.

Piero Hincapie is also a major doubt, having gone off against Liverpool with a suspected hamstring injury. He was due to undergo scans on Friday.

“We have to see the extent of what happened to Piero,” Arteta said.

“He could not carry on in the second half, so I don’t know exactly what it is.”

That leaves Myles Lewis-Skelly as the obvious starter at left-back and there could be an opportunity for 16-year-old Marli Salmon if Arteta decides to rest one of Gabriel or William Saliba.

Kepa will start in goal, as he has been doing in the Carabao Cup, and the likes of Christian Norgaard and Mikel Merino are options in midfield.

Ethan Nwaneri will hope for some minutes, even off the bench. He has not featured since the win over Club Brugge a month ago.

Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Kepa; White, Saliba, Salmon, Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard, Merino, Eze; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli

Injured: Calafiori, Mosquera, Dowman

Doubts: Hincapie, Havertz

Time and date: 2pm GMT on Sunday, January 11, 2026

How to watch: TNT Sports

Venue: Fratton Park