Arsenal

Referee announced for Athletic Bilbao vs Arsenal- Same ref who was in charge of MUFC defeats to Copenhagen & Astana

The referee for the Athletic Club vs Arsenal UCL Matchday 1 clash on September 16, 2025 has been announced as Donatas Rumsas. The 37-year-old Lithuanian is the same ref who was in charge of Manchester United’s European defeats to FC Copenhagen (4-3 loss in the 23/24 Champions League) and FC Astana (2-1 loss in the 19/20 Europa League).

In that 4-3 Man Utd defeat to FCK, Rumsas also sent off Marcus Rashford and awarded penalties to both clubs, which were converted by Diogo Goncalves and Bruno Fernandes respectively.

Interestingly, this is the first time Rumsas will also referee a game involving a La Liga club in the Champions League.

donatas rumsas referee

Read more

Pundit Predictions for Arsenal vs Nottm Forest 2025- Merson, Sutton, Joe Cole

The Premier League resumes this weekend after the September international break, and first up is a clash between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium. The fixture assumes extra significance with the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as Forest manager during the international break- he was in charge of Spurs before taking this job at the City Ground, and won the Europa League with them last season.

Postecoglou is therefore no stranger to Arsenal and the contrasting styles between him and the outgoing NFFC manager- Nuno (who was also Spurs manager briefly), make this an interesting game. Nuno’s Forest were more likely to sit back and hit opponents on the counter, and that is not really Postecoglou’s style.

Here are some pundit predictions for this Arsenal v Nottingham Forest GW4 clash for 2025/26.

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest 2025

Paul Merson: Merson thinks Arsenal almost got it right at Anfield before the international break, where only a late stunning free kick from Dom Szoboszlai prevented them from coming away with a point.

Reckons Noni Madueke will have a big role to play in the absence of the injured Bukayo Saka

Read more

Premier League Team of the Week (Round 1) 2025-26 season- Raya, Reijnders, Richarlison

Here is a look at the Premier League team of the week following the conclusion of the first round of fixtures. Not surprisingly, nearly half the team is drawn from Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur- the two sides that are currently 1st and 2nd in the table.

Despite their 4-2 win over Bournemouth, defending champions Liverpool have no player in the BBC’s Team of the Week. Their opponents do have one though in the form of Antoine Semenyo.

City’s three representatives are wing backs Rayan Ait-Nouri & Rico Lewis, and midfielder Reijnders, who achieved the rare distinction of both scoring and assisting on his league debut.

Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Man United- a victory that was mainly built on defensive resilience, sees them have two players in the TOTW in the form of goalkeeper Raya and defender Saliba.

BBC Team of the Week (MD1 25-26 season)

Raya (Arsenal)
Lewis and Ait Nouri (Man City), Saliba (Arsenal), Ballard (Sunderland)
Anderson (Forest), Ampadu (Leeds), Reijnders (Man City)
Semenyo (Bournemouth), Richarlison and Kudus (Spurs)

Premier League Team of the Week Round 1 2025-26 season

Read more