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Manager news conferences coming up as the Premier League returns after a two-week break - this week's fixtures Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaking to the media at 11: 00 (GMT) before Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim at 13: 15 Nuno Espirito Santo news conference after drawing Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals - their first since 1991 Nine games remain in the Premier League as Liverpool look to close in on the title, needing just 16 more points to confirm their first league title since 2020 Get Involved: #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Emma Smith, Adwaidh Rajan & Sean Byrne. Edited by Murray Burnell. Get Involved: #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Of all the teams in the world, I don't understand the need to be playing another Premier League side in a pre-season friendly. Certainly not a proper rival. Real v Barca last year, Arsenal v Spurs a big no from me. LJ, Kent A North London derby in Hong Kong. In July. But heaven forbid Tamworth get their much deserved FA Cup replay in January. The clubs and the FA should hang their heads in shame. Neil, waiting for the sun in Edinburgh Arsenal v Fulham (Tue, 19: 45 BST) Alex Howell BBC football news reporter The main and most obvious task for Andrea Berta is to ensure that Arsenal bring in a much-needed forward. The Gunners have suffered injuries to key attackers this season and have not brought in a forward for two transfer windows in a row. RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko has long been monitored, while Newcastle's Alexander Isak is also being linked. It's also a big summer for the club with key players Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes entering the last two years of their contracts. He will need to make sure that those players are locked down so that Arteta can continue to build on the impressive work he has done with the team. There are also players who need to be moved on. Oleksandr Zinchenko has dropped further down the pecking order after the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly and the Gunners were willing to let him go in January if they received the right offer. It is an exciting project for any sporting director to come into but with the Gunners challenging for silverware in recent seasons, this summer is not something that they can afford to get wrong. Arsenal v Fulham (Tue, 19: 45 BST) Arsenal New Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is best known for his time at Atletico Madrid. Working with manager Diego Simeone, he helped the Spanish side make astute acquisitions during their rebuild post-2014 La Liga triumph. France striker Antoine Griezmann was signed from Real Sociedad for £24. 8m in 2014 and five years later was sold to Barcelona for £103m. Atletico then bought him back in 2021 for just £16. 5m. Rodri, now a Ballon d'Or winner, was signed for £16. 5m in 2018 and sold to Manchester City the following year for £62. 5m, while goalkeeper Jan Oblak was signed from Benfica in 2014 for just £13m. He's now widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The question on every Arsenal fan's lips will be whether he will be able to replicate that success in north London. Arsenal v Fulham (Tue, 19: 45 BST) Arsenal It's not been all quiet at Arsenal during the international break. They have worked behind the scenes to announce the appointment of Andrea Berta as their new sporting director yesterday. The 53-year-old Italian is the permanent successor to Edu after the former Gunners midfielder left at the end of 2024. Berta worked for Parma and Genoa before joining Atletico Madrid where he was instrumental in signing Rodri, Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak. There is hope that Berta will be in attendance for Arsenal's meeting with Fulham tomorrow night. Arsenal v Fulham (Tue, 19: 45 BST) Arsenal All Arsenal can do is keeping winning their own games, right? Just trying to pre-empt what Mikel Arteta may say shortly. As we've discussed, Arsenal are 12 points behind leaders Liverpool as they resume their Premier League campaign against Fulham. Last time out, Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the game as Mikel Arteta's side beat rivals Chelsea and they will now hope to reduce their deficit to the top further with another win at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. But second-placed Gunners will also be looking over their shoulders with Nottingham Forest only four points behind them. Arteta's men will have their work cut out against the Cottagers, who are unbeaten in their last three league meetings between the sides. Get Involved: #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Is the title race a foregone conclusion? Who will qualify for the Champions League? Is there any crumb of hope for Ipswich, Leicester or Southampton? Get in touch using the usual methods. We'd love to hear from you. Yes, that's right. A north London derby, six thousand miles away, in Hong Kong. It was announced a short while ago that Arsenal and Tottenham will contest the first north London derby to be held outside the UK. The rivals will play in the newly-opened Kai Tak Stadium on July 31 as part of their preparations for the 2025-26 season. The match, scheduled for 7: 30pm local time (11: 30am BST), will be the first time that the two teams have met outside the UK. The fixture is part of the Hong Kong Football Festival, which will also see Liverpool take on AC Milan on 26 July. You can catch three of this week's Premier League games live on TV. Manchester United's visit to Nottingham Forest (Tue, 20: 00 BST) is broadcast on TNT Sports. Meanwhile, Sky Sports will show both the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton (Wed, 20: 00 BST) and Tottenham's trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea (Thu, 20: 00 BST). With only eight weeks of the season left to go, there is plenty to look forward to. Second-placed Arsenal will hope to stay in the title race as they host Fulham tomorrow while Nottingham Forest, boosted by their FA Cup semi-final berth, welcome Ruben Amorim's Manchester United. Wednesday sees league leaders Liverpool host Everton in what promises to be a tasty encounter, especially if the most recent Merseyside derby is anything to go by. The week's Premier League action will spill into Thursday with Chelsea and Tottenham up against each other in another derby at 20: 00 BST. It's been a while, hasn't it? It has been 15 days since the full-time whistle blew at the King Power in the most recent Premier League match, as Man Utd beat Leicester 3-0. A lifetime ago in football terms. But it's back! Tomorrow. .. Stick with us over the next few hours because we'll be hearing from the managers speaking today before Tuesday's fixtures, including Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in less than an hour. #bbcfootball, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) In the first half Man City were similar to a misfiring car. At half time Pep inserted a new spark plug: Nico O'Reilly. In the second half City eased past Bournemouth. A masterclass in strategic football management. Peter, Truro Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City Nigel Reo-Coker Former West Ham midfielder on the BBC Football Daily podcast The reality is that it was Nico O'Reilly who came on and changed the game for Manchester City. He made such a big impact for them coming on and it was evident for everyone to see. But you don't want the media to jump on O'Reilly now as another youngster coming through the City pipeline and to be seen as the new saviour and the future of the club. So I think Pep Guardiola is smart in praising the senior players who did well and giving credit to them. It is a way of taking the attention away from him. Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City Nigel Reo-Coker Former West Ham midfielder on the BBC Football Daily podcast It's just a blip for Bournemouth. Now that they are out of the FA Cup, it can be tunnel vision for them now - just the Premier League to focus on. They need to get back on the winning track and get the results that they need. I don't think it's panic station for them. They have had a promising season so far though they have some tough games coming up. But they are capable of beating anyone on their day. We have seen them put in performances not by luck but by the quality they have and the good manager they have. Nigel Reo-Coker Former West Ham midfielder on the BBC Football Daily podcast I don't think we can look at this season's FA Cup and the four teams left and say that there is one team who are favourites to win it. I think every single one of those teams could win this competition. People would probably say Manchester City, but when you look at them, you can't say it's the City of old or that they are the dominant force left in the competition. For Manchester City, that's a simple answer - last season, when they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in the FA Cup final. For the others, we have to go back a bit further. Not much further in the case of Aston Villa though, as they last played at Wembley in the 2020 League Cup final. A Villa side managed by Dean Smith and captained by future City player Jack Grealish were beaten 2-1 - by Manchester City. Crystal Palace last reached a major final in 2016, when they led Manchester United in the FA Cup final - leading Alan Pardew to bust out some dance moves - only for United to equalise three minutes later and eventually win 2-1 after extra time. For Nottingham Forest, we have to go back much further for their most recent major cup final - the 1992 League Cup final. Good heavens, this is the pre-Premier League era. It was the last final Forest reached under the management of Brian Clough, and they had won the League Cup four times under his management. Not here though, as Brian Mc Clair's early goal earned a 1-0 victory for Manchester United. So three of the four semi-finalists lost to Man Utd in their last major final - the other were beaten by Man City. Manchester supremacy. Since Wimbledon's shock triumph in 1988, only four teams outside of the 'big six' have lifted the trophy - Everton in 1995, Portsmouth in 2008, Wigan in 2013 and Leicester City four years ago (pictured). Even Spurs, technically part of the elite group, have lifted the FA Cup just once in that period - in 1991. That means five teams have accounted for 31 of the past 36 FA Cup victories. Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have shared the glory only between themselves. But this could be the year an unfancied team triumphs - unless City, who have reached the semi-finals a record seven times in a row, prevail again. Pat Nevin Former Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live Many of the big dogs have gone out already - not because they didn't care, but because they simply weren't good enough. The FA Cup seems to have its sparkle back and, with a bit of luck, it might even have the first magical fairytale ending we have seen since Wigan in 2013. Manchester City - 2023 (pictured) Nottingham Forest - 1959 Aston Villa - 1957 Crystal Palace - Never Nottingham Forest will take on Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium, while Crystal Palace will face Aston Villa. The semi-finals will take place on the weekend of Saturday, 26 April. Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace Nigel Reo-Coker Former West Ham midfielder on the BBC Football Daily podcast I thought it was going to be a lot more closer game but Crystal Palace just went to Craven Cottage and dismantled Fulham. This result caught me off guard. Fulham had no answers to Palace. You would have given them the edge because they are having a great season under Marco Silva. But Palace were just a class above. They have got so many great players. And when you look at the four teams left in the competition, you can say that Palace are the only ones who can concentrate on just the FA Cup. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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