Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned his players they must “earn the right to win” when they host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday as they seek an eighth straight victory in all competitions.
The Gunners have won all seven of their matches so far this season, but Arteta played down the significance of their perfect run ahead of their final fixture before the extended international break.
“We’ve got a really tough opponent tomorrow, so we’re going to have to really earn the right to win the game, but certainly that will be the mindset of the players and the team,” Arteta said in a pre-match conference on the club website on Friday.
The Spaniard praised Arsenal’s response to a demanding schedule, particularly in away fixtures, insisting that his team must maintain the same dominant approach regardless of where they play.
“That’s one of the challenges of the schedule, and the team has responded so well,” he said.
“Playing with dominance, it doesn’t really matter if we play at home or away, we want to be the same team and we want to cause the same kind of problems to the opposition.”
Arsenal have already secured victories in their three away matches and will now face Brighton in their final game before the break.
“We have managed to win the three games, and we’ve got the last one against a really tough opponent, as I said, against Brighton tomorrow, and we’ll try to do the same.”
Asked about the possibility of matching a 123-year-old Arsenal record with an eighth consecutive win, Arteta refused to look beyond Saturday’s encounter.
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“We just have enough on the plate today to prepare for the game against a really good Brighton tomorrow.
“We know how tough that’s going to be to earn the right to win it, that’s it,” he said.
Arteta also reflected on Arsenal’s impressive start following the 2026 World Cup, admitting there had been uncertainty over how the squad would respond after having little time together.
“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level, so to win seven, it tells the story,” he said.
“After the World Cup especially, there were a lot of unknowns about how the players and the team were going to react. We didn’t have any time with them to work together, but as I said, they won.”
The Arsenal boss attributed the winning run to a combination of strong performances and an element of luck.
“I’ve seen their attitude, and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with.
“Then you have to put it down to performances and the element of luck as well to win football matches, and we are here and then we want to make another one for sure tomorrow,” he concluded.