The State of Play
Mikel Arteta will be very frustrated with his team’s performance in midweek as they were beaten 1-0 by Porto in the first-leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie at Estadio do Dragao. The Gunners have been in exceptional form in the Premier League with five successive victories in the league, scoring 21 goals in the process, after they thrashed Burnley by five goals to nil at Turf Moor last weekend.
Newcastle United have become the Premier League’s ‘entertainers’ with The Magpies’ 25 matches so far this season consisting of 94 goals as they try and propel themselves back into the top seven and the European spots. They needed Matt Ritchie to come off the bench and scored a second-half stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a point against AFC Bournemouth at St James’ Park last weekend.
Check out our other football stories here:
Germany’s Kroos comes out of international retirement ahead of Euro 2024
O’Neil tells Wolves to remain focused
Arsenal team news: Jesus, Partey ‘very close’ to injury comebacks
Team News
Jurrien Timber will be missing for a couple of months this weekend, whilst the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus are doubts, too.
Eddie Howe is still missing two key strikers for this weekend with both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson unavailable. Key men such as Nick Pope and Joelinton are also injured with Sandro Tonali missing through suspension.
Expected Line-ups
Arsenal: David Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
Newcastle: Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Miley; Almiron, Gordon, Barnes
What they Said
After their loss to Porto on Wednesday evening, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said ‘we will learn from this’ as they welcome to Newcastle to north London on Saturday.
Eddie Howe was full of praise for last week’s Newcastle hero, Matt Ritchie, describing the Scotland international as ‘inspiring’ after their draw with Bournemouth.
When and How to Watch
This match is being played at the Emirates Stadium at 20:00 on Saturday February 24th and is being televised live on TNT Sports in the UK. It can also be streamed live via the TNT Sports app.
Prediction
Mikel Arteta will be desperate for a reaction from his Arsenal side after their midweek defeat. The Gunners often start fast, especially at the Emirates Stadium, and they will hope to pick up where they left off in the Premier League and also show a bit more intensity than they did the other day in the UEFA Champions League. Newcastle have been thrilling and their best bet is to simply try and exploit the space that might be afforded to the likes of Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes on the counter. A high-scoring home win seems likely.
