TEAM NEWS
Arsenal have no fresh fitness concerns, with Granit Xhaka and Sead Kolasinac their only confirmed absentees.
Kieran Tierney and Martin Odegaard, who have both struggled with injuries this season, are pushing for recalls.
Eddie Howe will be in the dugout for the first time as Newcastle head coach after returning a negative Covid test on Friday.
Dwight Gayle has a tight hamstring and will be assessed, while Paul Dummett is the only player definitely unavailable.
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
Arsenal were doing pretty well at Anfield last week until their manager Mikel Arteta reacted to a Sadio Mane challenge and woke the crowd up.
It was like Liverpool brought on an extra man when that happened, and they scored their goals at the right time to take control of the game and then finish it off.
That defeat ended the Gunners’ long unbeaten run but I can see them bouncing straight back here, because they should have too much quality for Newcastle.
If Newcastle are as open as they were in their 3-3 draw with Brentford last week, they will carry on leaking goals.
It’s not a bad idea for them to be more attacking under Eddie Howe because, in the position they are in, they need to win games. They will beat some teams playing that way – but not Arsenal.
Prediction: 2-0
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Arsenal have won 17 of the past 18 meetings in all competitions. The exception was a 2-1 top-flight defeat at St James’ Park in April 2018.
- Newcastle are on a 10-match losing streak away to Arsenal, nine of them in the league.
- The Magpies have gone six competitive games without a goal in this fixture, while Arsenal have opened the scoring in 17 successive meetings.
Arsenal
- Defeat at Liverpool last weekend ended Arsenal’s 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
- They have never lost a Premier League home fixture against the side starting the day bottom of the table, winning 15 times and drawing six.
- A fifth Premier League home defeat of 2021 would be their most in a calendar year since 1997, when the Gunners lost six games at Highbury.
- However, Mikel Arteta’s side are vying for a third consecutive Premier League home win.
- Emile Smith Rowe can become the first English player to score in three successive home league matches for Arsenal since Ian Wright in 1997.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored in his five most recent appearances against Newcastle.
- Arteta has won all 10 of his competitive games as an Arsenal player and manager against Newcastle.
Newcastle United
- Newcastle are enduring their longest winless run from the beginning of a league season (D6, L6).
- The only club to have gone this long without a victory from the start of a 38-game Premier League season and still avoid relegation is Derby County in 2000-01.
- The Magpies are on their third-longest winless streak in the Premier League, after a run of 14 matches in 1999 and 13 between December 2007 and March 2008.
- This is the first time in 66 years that Newcastle haven’t kept a clean sheet after their opening 12 top-flight fixtures in a season.
- Callum Wilson is one short of 100 career league goals. He scored 61 of them under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth.
- Howe lost all five Premier League away fixtures against Arsenal when he was Bournemouth manager.
Choose your Arsenal formation and starting line-up. It’s up to you how to approach it – you could go for the team you WANT the boss to pick or the one you THINK he will.
Choose your Newcastle United starting formation and line-up. It’s up to you how to approach it – you could go for the team you WANT the boss to pick or the one you THINK he will.
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