Arsenal defender Ben White is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury, which is also expected to end his hopes of featuring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Ben White, 28, was taken off during the first half of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at West Ham United on Sunday and later left London Stadium with a knee brace.

The defender has suffered a “significant medial ligament injury” which will rule him out of the club’s final two league matches and the UEFA Champions League final on May 30, Arsenal confirmed in an official statement.

The statement read: “Our medical team are now managing the recovery and rehabilitation programme for Ben, with everyone fully focused on supporting the aim of Ben being ready for the start of our pre-season preparations.

White has played in 30 games in all competitions this season and has started Arsenal’s last five matches, but has only been named in the starting line-up for nine league games.

Mikel Arteta’s side are on the cusp of history. Arsenal can win their first Premier League title in 22 years with victories against Burnley and Crystal Palace. They are also preparing for their first Champions League final in 20 years, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain.

White, who is aiming for a pre-season return, is unlikely to be fit in time for the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. England manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to name his squad on 22nd May.

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Chelsea attacker Joao Pedro has responded to the Blues’ 3-1 English Premier League (EPL) loss to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Pedro, who got Chelsea’s only goal of the game, said the players must take responsibility for the poor result.

The Brazilian admitted the team had not played well enough and said he felt sorry for the supporters who watched the defeat.

Nottingham Forest were said to have secured a great away win, with Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi scoring twice and Igor Jesus also finding the net.

Awoniyi’s brace put Forest on top in the match while Igor Jesus added to Chelsea’s woes as the visitors took all three points in London.

Pedro gave Chelsea something to shout about with his goal but it wasn’t enough to save the Blues in front of their home fans.

Pedro Calls For Self Evaluation
“The whole squad of Chelsea needs to look at the performance,” Pedro told Sky Sports after the game.

“Everybody’s got to look at themselves, myself included,” he said.

The forward also expressed sympathy for the club’s supporters following the disappointing result.

“I apologize to the fans,” added the Brazilian.

Pedro’s goal against Nottingham Forest was his 15th of the season in the Premier League without penalties for Chelsea, despite the defeat.

The landmark underlined his importance to the team’s attack but the forward seemed more concerned about the team’s performance as a whole and the disappointment of fans.

Chelsea are next in action on Saturday when they play Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League.

The Blues will be looking to bounce back as they look to recover from the blow and improve their league position

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Former Newcastle striker, Alan Shearer, has predicted Sunday’s Premier League fixtures.

In the matches played on Saturday, Arsenal edged a 3-2 win at Bournemouth and Aston Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 3-1.
Manchester City begin the day seven points behind the Gunners and host Chelsea at the Etihad.

Liverpool are away to in-form Fulham and Manchester United will travel to Leeds United.
Shearer has now said he expects both City and Leeds will win on Sunday, while Arne Slot’s men will drop points again.

“Leeds vs Man Utd – Prediction: Leeds win,” Shearer told BetFair.
“Fulham vs Liverpool: Prediction: Draw.
“Man City vs Chelsea – Prediction: Man City win.”

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Arsenal beat Bournemouth 3-2 in Saturday’s late kick-off to open a six-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.

The Gunners began the game knowing Aston Villa had crept into second place, with a 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.
But it was the Cherries who took the lead, after Gabriel’s pass was intercepted and finished off by Evanilson.

Gabriel then went down the other end and made atonement with the equalizer six minutes later.
Arsenal then opened a two-goal lead after the break with a Declan Rice brace.

Although Kroupi Jr scored again for Bournemouth, Mikel Arteta’s men held on to take all three points.

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Aston Villa climbed into second place on the Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s early kick-off.

Unai Emery’s men were looking to bounce back from a 4-1 loss at Arsenal in midweek.
And they began the game confidently, taking the lead before half time, with Ollie Watkins smashing in the opener.

Villa doubled their lead almost after the restart, with John McGinn finishing off Matty Cash’s low drive.
McGinn grabbed his double, pouncing on goalkeeper John Victor’s error, to seal victory for his team.

The result takes Villa up to 42 points, three behind leaders Arsenal and one ahead of City, who welcome Chelsea on Sunday.

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Calum McFarlane, Chelsea’s caretaker coach, has hailed captain Reece James in the wake of manager Enzo Maresca’s departure.

McFarlane referred to the England international as a ‘real leader,’ noting his crucial role in helping both players and staff prepare for the upcoming Premier League match against Manchester City.
In his pre-match press conference on Friday, McFarlane also commented on the Blues’ mentality ahead of the City clash at the Etihad Stadium.

“The players are focused and hungry,” McFarlane stated. “We have a massive game on Sunday.”
He went on to pinpoint James’s influence, saying, “Reece has been brilliant, he has been a real leader in the group and helped the staff and players to get ready for Sunday.”

Chelsea is looking to bounce back after their recent 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge in their last league encounter.

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Manchester City failed to close the gap between themselves and Arsenal after playing out a 0-0 draw with Sunderland on Thursday night.

The Gunners had opened a five-point lead at the top with a smashing 4-1 victory over Aston Villa earlier in the week.
City arrived at the Stadium of Light on the back of a nine-game winning run.

But that has now come to an end on New Year’s day, as they failed to score a single goal against the newly-promoted side.
The draw takes Pep Guardiola’s men up to 41 points, four less than Arsenal.

City’s next league fixture is at home against managerless Chelsea, while the Gunners travel to Bournemouth.

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Chelsea’s U-21 coach, Calum McFarlane, will take charge of the senior team for their Premier League trip to Manchester City this weekend.

This follows the sacking of Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day.
According to Goal, McFarlane will address the media ahead on Friday ahead of the match.

With Maresca’s shock exit, Chelsea are not expected to have a new manager in place in time for the City game.
McFarlane only arrived at Stamford Bridge from Southampton last the summer.

Under him, the U-21 side sit in fourth place in Premier League 2.
He has previously said that he feels “part of the family”, and will now be trusted to guide the first XI to three potential points at the Etihad.

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is reportedly considering his future with the Premier League club.

According to talkSPORT, there are serious tensions between the Italian and senior officials at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca is believed to be unhappy with interference in his football decisions.

The former Leicester City boss did not attend his post-match press conference following a 2–2 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday.
The official explanation was that Maresca had taken ill, but it is now claimed that he opted to snub the media.

Some members of Chelsea’s board are also reportedly unhappy with Maresca over the recent slump in form.
In recent weeks, Maresca has been linked with Manchester City amid uncertainty over Pep Guardiola’s future at the Etihad.

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Aston Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, has talked about why he didn’t shake hands with Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, after Villa lost 3-1 to the Gunners on Tuesday night.

The Gunners moved five points ahead of the other Premier League teams again, thanks to a fantastic second-half performance in north London.
Villa might have closed the gap at the top if they had won the match, which was tied 0-0 at halftime.

In the second half, the host team played better than they did in the first period, and Gabriel Magalhaes scored the first goal just three minutes into the second half.
Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus each scored goals that helped their team take a large lead in the standings.

In the final moments of the game, Ollie Watkins managed to score a goal that only served as a consolation for Unai Emery’s side.
After the final whistle, Arteta, who couldn’t hide his happiness about the win, didn’t shake hands with Emery.
In his press conference after the game, Emery, who had previously coached Arsenal after Arsene Wenger left the club, spending 18 months at the Emirates, said he was waiting for Arteta but his fellow Spaniard was already celebrating his team’s win.

“After the game ends, I usually quickly shake hands and then leave. Of course Arteta was happy and was with the coaches, and I can’t wait for him. I was there but no problem. I came along to my dressing room,” he  said.

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