Arsenal (A): Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line-ups & prediction

Following Eddie Howe’s high-scoring Mags never really has any dull moments.

Coming off the back of yet another high scoring draw, defensive stability was once again the main talking point post Bournemouth. Tino Livramento came on and replaced Dan Burn in another game in which he struggled, as Howe continued to defend his selection of the left back.

Newcastle also lost sporting director Dan Ashworth this week as he was placed on gardening leave amid a desire to join Manchester United.

But football games are won on a pitch and hopefully any discussion surrounding Ashworth will have been far away from the training field.

A visit to Arsenal awaits the Mags now and a chance to revisit some old (and yet-to-be-quashed) bones of contention. Who can forget the endless VAR checks at St James’ earlier this season to finally award Anthony Gordon the winning goal, prompting Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta to claim he felt “sick” to be part of the game?

Tempers flared that afternoon and Newcastle know that another booking for Bruno will see him serve a suspension for accumulation, so expect to see the customary housery from the usual suspects in red.

“The last game made headlines, that’s the best way of putting it,” Howe said, rejecting the suggestion that the coming game was a grudge match.

“I don’t know if we look at it that way. We just look at it like another opponent. We analyse them forensically to find the best way to get a result. I’m sure for Arsenal it’s exactly the same.”

Team news

Finally some positive injury news! Fabian Schar is fit after picking up a knock against Bournemouth. Joe Willock and Alexander Isak have both trained this week and are in contention to make the matchday squad.

Nick Pope’s injury return date is thought to be sooner than first feared and Elliott Anderson is making good progress. Callum Wilson (injury), Matt Targett (injury) and Sandro Tonali (suspension) are out.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Thomas Partey could feature in the squad. The midfielder has spent nearly five months on the touchline through injury. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko are close to a return while Takehiro Tomiyasu will not feature. Jurrien Timber is a long term injury for the Gunners and Arteta hopes he may return before the end of the season.

Predicted XI – Dubravka – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento – Longstaff, Bruno, Miley – Almiron, Isak, Gordon.

With Isak’s return, I would expect a change to a more familiar front three, especially with the energy that Almiron and Gordon can bring to the press.

Whether this is more blind hope than realism, I believe that Burn will lose his place to Livramento who looked much more solid when playing on the left against Bournemouth.

Prediction – Arsenal 2 – 0 Newcastle

The Gunners are in good form despite a wobble in the Champions League recently. With genuinely good teams it is common to see a resurgence after a disappointing result (how many times have City hammered someone 4-0 or 5-0 after a narrow loss?)

I just can’t see a way past this side who look like they are enjoying football again. It will be a scrappy affair and one that will likely see us lose Bruno for a couple of games through suspension as the Gunners will target him in the hopes of a yellow card being brandished.

But as has been said so many times about this team, they have a joyous habit of proving the doubters wrong.

INTO THEM!