Arsenal Travel North For Huge Game Against Newcastle

Newcastle United welcome Arsenal to St James’ Park in the pick of the Saturday fixtures. It is going to be a firm test of the visitors’ title ambitions. In their last away match in the competition, they drew to Chelsea. Many considered them to be fortunate on the day, as the Blues were the dominant team for much of the game. This will be a similarly tough game for them, as the Magpies have been very good at home in recent months. Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City have all tasted defeat in the North East during the last 12 months.

The last week has been a mixed one for Newcastle. Supporters were disappointed to see the team lose a lead twice at Wolves, but the team bounced back with a comprehensive 3-0 victory away to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup. Eddie Howe made eight changes to his team during the week, but the standard of performance remained high. That will encourage supporters, as the squad has several injuries to deal with at the moment.

Mikel Arteta will know that his team need to win this weekend to keep touch with the leading pack at the top of the division. Arsenal managed to compete in this fixture well last season, as they dealt with Newcastle’s high press and caused them a lot of problems on the counter attack. The Spaniard will be hoping for a similarly professional display on Saturday. A loss to West Ham United in the Carabao Cup means that they need to bounce back with a better level of performance this weekend.

Interesting stats

No team has scored more than Newcastle United in the Premier League. They have found the back of the net on 26 occasions.

Alongside Tottenham, Arsenal are the only team with an unbeaten Premier League record.

Key men

Bruno Guimaraes

There are a lot of injuries in the Newcastle United squad at the moment. One player that they can’t afford to lose for any amount of time is Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian is one of the best in his position in the league and Newcastle rely on him to dictate the tempo in the middle of the pitch. There were links to Arsenal before he joined Newcastle, so this is a chance for him to show the Gunners what they missed out on. The midfield area will be key this weekend. If Bruno Guimaraes performs to the level that he can, he can lay a good foundation for Newcastle to go on and win the game. It will be difficult as he comes up against Declan Rice in the central areas.

Bukayo Saka

It has been good to see that Bukayo Saka wasn’t seriously injured. He is now back in the starting eleven, but he is still building up to his best. Newcastle use Dan Burn as a left back, which should give Saka confidence this weekend. Burn struggles to deal with opposition wingers that have explosive pace and this is something that Saka does possess. Arsenal will want to isolate him against his full-back as much as possible, as it is an area of the pitch where they can get joy. His dual threat has been on show this season, as he has contributed four goals and three assists. There could be an opportunity to add to those tallies on Saturday.

Team news

Matt Targett went off with a hamstring injury to add to Newcastle’s injury list. Alexander Isak and Sven Botman are unlikely to be seen again before the international break. Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson and Harvey Barnes will be out until 2024. Lewis Miley could be back involved after his illness.

Arsenal have suffered injuries to Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe in recent weeks, with all likely to be missing for a number of weeks. Jurrien Timber is out longer term.

Verdict

This is a difficult match to call. Newcastle United are so good at home. In their only home defeat this season, they were the better team for much of the game and arguably threw the game away against Liverpool. They will want a more coherent display this weekend. They are missing key players, which is a blow. Arsenal are one of the best teams in the division, but they can be vulnerable away from home. A score draw could be a good prediction for the game this weekend.

Newcastle United 1-1 Arsenal