Mikel Arteta admits key Arsenal player in line to return against Brighton
- Gabriel Martinelli expected to play against Brighton after recent illness
- Brazilian forward did not play in midweek draw with PSV Eindhoven
- Mikel Arteta confirms new injury for Mohamed Elneny
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expects Gabriel Martinelli to play a part in Sunday's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Gunners are hoping to return to the top of the table with a win at the Emirates Stadium, though they may be knocked off their perch if Liverpool beat Manchester United at Anfield in the weekend's late game.
Martinelli played 69 minutes of Arsenal's recent 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa but did not feature in midweek as a rotated side drew with PSV Eindhoven in the final game of the Champions League group stages.
22-year-old Martinelli had been feeling unwell, but speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta looked to confidently reassure Arsenal supporters over his availability to face Brighton.
"He's feeling good. He'll be in contention," Arteta remarked when asked how the Brazilian was doing.
Arteta also spoke for the first time after being cleared of misconduct by an independent committee over comments made about the standard of refereeing in Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United at St James' Park.
The Spaniard had been furious at the award of Anthony Gordon's second half goal, which was controversially allowed to stand despite concerns over the ball going out of play and a possible foul by Joelinton on Gabriel Magalhaes.
On whether he felt vindicated at being cleared and if anything positive can be taken from the charge, the Spaniard replied: "It has to be. I think it was a really good, well run process. It gave the opportunity for both of us to say how we felt and the reasons behind it.
"OK, the outcome is that I'm not charged, but I think we have to draw a line now and look at how we can be more constructive and learn from it and move forward. It was good. I felt a lot of sympathy to be fair as I explained the pressure we feel as managers and how important details are for our job.
"I love what I do so much and I want to continue doing it. The reality was that 14 managers lost their jobs and we depend on results. When the outcome is that important we get really emotional about it. Nobody remembers three weeks ago when you lost a game because of a certain reason. So, I think it was a really good process."
Arteta comes up against Roberto De Zerbi on Sunday, who guided Brighton through to the knockout stages of the Europa League on Thursday after beating Marseille 1-0. The Italian has also been outspoken about referees this season, surprisingly admitting to reporters at one stage: "I am honest and clear, I don't like 80% of English referees. It's not a new thing, I don't like them.
"The behaviour, I don't like their behaviour on the pitch," he further elaborated.
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