Galatasaray's Turkish coach warns Barcelona

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta stressed that his team is required to prove its right to reach the Champions League final again, after losing last season's final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, stressing that competing for the title requires treating each match as a new step towards the goal.

Arsenal is preparing to face French club Lille, on Tuesday, at its home stadium, at a time when the London team seeks to continue its European journey and compensate for the disappointment of losing the previous final, in light of ambitions to achieve the first title in the club’s history in the tournament.

Arteta said in the press conference, according to the British BBC: “You have to deserve the right to reach this position again.” We know how difficult it is, and our club has never won the Champions League in its history, so we have to realize the scale of the challenge.”

The Spanish coach added that his team is waiting for a difficult test against Lille, praising the work provided by his coach, David Ancelotti, and said that it is “a well-organized team, and what Ancelotti presented is remarkable, and it is enough to see the way his team competes and plays in the French League.”

In a related context, Brazilian defender Gabriel confirmed that Arsenal enters the confrontation with the ambition of competing for all titles, and said: “We are very excited, and we want to compete for every championship.” We have a new opportunity to play in the Champions League, on our soil, and among our fans, and we are ready for that.”

Gabriel pointed out that the team is looking forward to building on its strong start to the season, despite losing to Brighton 3-0, before returning to victories by defeating Leeds, adding: “We want to maintain the momentum, and we did a good job in the Champions League last season, and we have a new opportunity to compete for the title.”

Arteta touched on the injuries suffered by Ecuadorian Piero Hincapie and Spaniard Martin Zubimendi during the light training session that followed the victory over Leeds on Saturday, explaining that the players will undergo additional examinations to determine the severity of their injuries and the possible duration of their absence.

The coach said: “We had a training session dedicated to players who did not get enough minutes, and in two unfortunate cases we lost players. “This is not a good thing, and we have to evaluate their condition and conduct further tests to find out how long they will be absent.”

Arteta described what happened as far from ideal, noting that completely avoiding injuries is not a realistic option, because players need training to maintain their readiness and competitive rhythm.

Regarding the date of the return of defender William Saliba, Arteta explained that the player returned to training on the grass more than a week ago, but he needs to gradually increase his training loads before considering his return to the team roster, stressing that determining the date of his return is still difficult, and that the matter depends on his response to the recovery program.

For his part, Gabriel talked about his experience with Arsenal, praising Arteta’s role in developing his level and enhancing the team’s spirit. He said: “I say thank you every week to him for the way he pushed me to develop, and for the spirit he possesses and his desire to win. "It gives us confidence to play matches and enjoy being on the field."

The Brazilian defender also recalled his memories with Lille, for which he had previously played, expressing his happiness at returning to face his former team, and said: “It will be a very special occasion for me. “I have a lot of love for Lille, and I look forward to seeing the fans and playing in front of them.”

Arteta, in turn, spoke positively about French striker Olivier Giroud, the current Lille player, who previously represented Arsenal, praising his personality and influence within the dressing room, and the career he made since joining the London team from Montpellier, France.

Gabriel had missed a penalty kick in the Champions League final last season, but he stressed his willingness to take responsibility again if he had the opportunity, saying: “I do not want to miss a penalty kick, but I learned from the experience, and if I get another chance, I will be ready to take it. My colleagues helped me a lot after what happened.”

Mercedes driver George Russell could face another engine penalty at next month's Las Vegas Grand Prix, at the same time his team-mate Kimi Antonelli is likely to clinch the Formula 1 championship.

Russell, who is ranked second in the drivers' championship standings but 102 points behind the Italian driver with six rounds remaining in the season, started from the back of the grid in the Singapore Grand Prix yesterday, Sunday, after exceeding his allotted quota of power units for this season.

The British driver said last week that he would receive another penalty before the end of the season.

“To be honest, the penalty will likely be later in the season,” he told Sky Sports after finishing ninth at the Marina Bay Circuit. Maybe in Las Vegas. “Now we have the option to apply the penalty whenever we want, and we will choose a circuit that is a little easier than this.”

Russell or his Mercedes team did not plan to use a new engine in Singapore, which is a track in which overtaking is difficult, but they were forced to do so due to a malfunction that led to the British driver’s exit from the previous round (the Bahrain Prix, which was held in Malaysia), which left them with no other option.

The Austin race in Texas will be the preferred option on October 25.

Antonelli (20 years old) has his first opportunity to become the youngest champion in the history of this sport in Austin.

However, the winner of eight races this year will have to win there to become the first Italian champion since 1953 with five rounds remaining in the season; The matter will remain dependent on Russell or Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton not obtaining enough points to remain in the competition.

It seems that Mexico, one week later, or Brazil, the next race, are the two most likely places to witness the championship being decided before Las Vegas.

There is no doubt that Antonelli will win the title in the end; Hamilton, third, is now 111 points behind with only 125 points available after Austin.

If Antonelli wins in Texas, Max Verstappen, driver of Red Bull, Charles Leclerc, driver of Ferrari, and defending champion Lando Norris, driver of McLaren, will be immediately eliminated from the title race.

Verstappen, the four-time champion and winner yesterday in Singapore, will seek to achieve his third consecutive victory in the next race in Texas.