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Liverpool line-ups for Brighton as Rio Ngumoha unleashed and Hugo Ekitike decision made Our Liverpool writers select their line-ups for Saturday night's FA Cup fourth-round clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield Ian Doyle  Chief Liverpool FC Writer,  Paul Gorst  Liverpool FC correspondent and  Paul Wheelock  Head of sport Rio Ngumoha walks out at the chilly AXA Training Centre on Friday for Liverpool's final training session before this weekend's FA Cup clash (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) Having put their Champions League qualification bid back on track, Liverpool turn their attention to the FA Cup tonight. A top-four finish is the minimum of the defending Premier League champions' ambitions. Article continues below But if they can achieve that, and also win a trophy, then what has been a difficult campaign for Arne Slot and his players could yet end memorably. Liverpool have already proven this seas...

Alexander Isak steps up Liverpool injury recovery as encouraging new photographs released British transfer record £125m signing Alexander Isak has been absent since suffering a serious injury when scoring for Liverpool in their 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in December Alexander Isak stepped up his recovery from a broken leg with a gym session and some light ball work at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre on Friday. The £125m striker suffered the injury setback when he was caught by Tottenham Hotspur's Micky Van de Ven in a 2-1 win for the Reds in north London in December. Article continues below Isak opened the scoring on the day with an emphatic finish from Florian Wirtz's pass before he was caught by Van de Ven and forced off just 11 minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute. Article continues below The Sweden international underwent surgery to correct an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture and no timeframe has been placed on when he will be cleared for...

Arne Slot offers new Ibrahima Konate Liverpool contract update - 'Let's see where that ends' Arne Slot discusses Ibrahima Konate's Liverpool future as the centre-back enters the final few months of his Anfield contract Liverpool remain locked in talks with Ibrahima Konate's representatives over a new contract - with Arne Slot confirming he wants the centre-back to extend his stay at Anfield. Konate is into the final few months of a deal signed when he joined the club in 2021 from RB Leipzig. Liverpool have been in discussions with the France international's agents for well over 12 months now. Real Madrid have been linked with a move to sign the 26-year-old as a free agent at the end of the season, although reports late last year claimed the La Liga giants had reached out directly to Reds officials to confirm they would not be looking to take a another high-profile player from Anfield after their move for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Konate has endured an inconsi...

Mikel Arteta laughs off Arsenal regret question after new injury blow amid Nwaneri loan call Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has laughed off the question of whether he and the club regret sending Ethan Nwaneri on loan amid a growing injury crisis in the youngster's attacking midfield position Mikel Arteta laughed off suggestions that there should be any Arsenal regret over loaning Ethan Nwaneri prior to a growing injury concern Mikel Arteta laughed off suggestions of any regret about sending Ethan Nwaneri on loan to Marseille ahead of an FA Cup tie he would have certainly featured in. Arsenal take on Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the competition, after beating Portsmouth in the last round. The Gunners have been fortunate to draw back-to-back lower-league opponents, giving them a chance to rotate the side. With a game against Wolves on Wednesday ahead of the North London Derby at the weekend, it is in the Spaniard’s interest to switch things up and rest his key league starters....

Arsenal injury update: William Saliba, Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz latest news and return dates Gunners dealt big blow in midweek as star man ruled out Sidelined: Kai Havertz, William Saliba and Mikel Merino Your matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri Arsenal take on Wigan in the FA Cup on Sunday, and they will be sweating over the fitness of a key player. The Gunners have been hit by some fresh injuries in recent weeks but Mikel Arteta was able to welcome some big names back into the fold in the 1-1 draw at Brentford, with Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard all featuring at the Gtech Community Stadium. There has also been a positive update this week on Max Dowman. Arsenal have some big games on the horizon, with the north London derby at Tottenham on February 22 and then a home game against Chelsea on March 1. With that in mind, here’s the latest Arsenal injury news and potential return dates... William Saliba Star defende...

Mikel Arteta must fix key problem if Arsenal are to realise Premier League title ambitions Gunners dropped points again in midweek as title race intensifies Your matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri It was a very familiar feeling for Arsenal when the half-time whistle went at the Gtech Community Stadium. After a fairly uneventful 45 minutes, in which the Gunners had just one shot and did not trouble Caoimhin Kelleher at all, there was nothing to split Mikel Arteta's side and Brentford. This was the sixth time in the last eight Premier League matches that Arsenal have gone in level at half-time. Four of those have been goalless. In the Premier League so far this season, Arsenal's matches have had a total of 24 goals across 26 games in the first 45 minutes. That is the fewest of any side in the league. Part of that is down to how the opposition set up against them. Very few take the game to Arsenal early on, preferr...

GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Arsenal (Madueke, 61) Arsenal score with their first shot on target of the night! Piero Hincapie returns the ball into the box after Michael Kayode's clearance goes straight back to the Gunners and Noni Madueke is there to leap above his man and head past Caoimhin Kelleher, who is caught on his toes!

Brentford 0-0 Arsenal "Martin Odegaard on for Eberechi Eze - that right there sums up Eze's problems this season. Unless he is injured, which does not seem to be the case, it looks as though Mikel Arteta has already had enough and decided he did not make a meaningful enough contribution for Arsenal in that first half.  "We spoke before the game about Eze laying down a marker which could change his fortunes this season, but I think we can safely say that hasn't happened for him tonight. The future continues to look uncertain for him." Brentford 0-0 Arsenal 48:  BLOCK ! Huge from Kristoffer Ajer A poor defensive header from Michael Kayode is almost punished. Leandro Trossard manages to get a shot away, which the Norwegian defender blocks. Handball appeals from the travelling fans, but nothing given. Brentford 0-0 Arsenal 47: Arsenal on the front foot in the opening minute of the second half. Viktor Gyokeres has already made an excellent run, Kristoffer Aj...

Brentford vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League latest score, match stream, goal updates and fan reaction HALF-TIME! Goalless at the break. Brentford have come closest to breaking the deadlock with Igor Thiago forcing a superb save from David Raya. Brentford 0-0 Arsenal 45 min : One minute of added time to be played. Matt Verri at Gtech Community Stadium Good clearance there from Raya, as Brentford looked to get in behind. So good that it was about two feet from hitting me. Brentford 0-0 Arsenal 44 min : Arsenal just stepping it up as a Hincapie’s header back across goal is cleared. At the other end, Raya dashes off his line to make a clearance after Ouattara was bursting through. From the resulting throw-in, Lewis-Potter slices an effort wide. Brentford 0-0 Arsenal 41 min:  Madueke now being booed by the Brentford fans. Assuming that is related to the penalty appeal and not his connections to Chelsea. Brentford 0-0 Arsenal 38 min : Madueke goes down under contact from Henr...

Sunderland vs Liverpool  A round of midweek Premier League action continues at the Stadium of Light, where reigning champions Liverpool take on newly-promoted Sunderland. The Reds were left reeling by a late Manchester City onslaught last time out, with that latest loss in a subpar campaign so far denting their Champions League hopes, but tonight’s match offers a chance to get back on track - particularly after top-five rivals Manchester United and Chelsea dropped points yesterday. To pick up an important three points, though, Arne Slot’s side must do what no team has done to date in 2025/26: beat Sunderland on their own turf. The Black Cats would draw level on points with today’s opponents with a victory and are eyeing Europe themselves amid an impressive first season back in the top flight. It means there is plenty to play for as we approach the home stretch of the season; and if the last meeting between these two sides is anything to go by, we’re in for an entertaining, end-to-e...