Arsenal will entertain Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday hoping to pick up maximum points in front of their home supporters. The Gunners currently have the same points tally (31) as the Magpies so a victory will be vital for both sides as they look to move up the Premier League table.
Talking Tactics
Arteta will want his players to dominate the game and will likely opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation. The Gunners can expect to see a lot of the ball as the Magpies will defend in numbers inside their own half. Mesut Ozil will be responsible for creating some goal-scoring opportunities for the likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Martinelli in the final third.
Newcastle will line up in a 5-4-1 formation as they try to work hard in soaking up all of the home team’s pressure and hitting them on the counter. Bruce will hope that Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin can use their pace on the flanks to get in behind the Arsenal backline.
Team News
Arsenal
Pablo Mari lacks match fitness so he might be rested ahead of the showdown versus Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League next week. Otherwise, Arteta does not have any fresh injury worries to cope with and is expected to name a strong side this weekend.
Arsenal Predicted XI
Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Martinelli, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Newcastle United
Jonjo Shelvey, Dwight Gayle and Yoshinori Muto are all major concerns for this game on Sunday evening. Andy Carroll is also unlikely to recover in time for this encounter at the English capital.
Newcastle United Predicted XI
Dubravka, Yedlin, Fernandez, Lascelles, Clark, Rose, Almiron, Hayden, Bentaleb, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton
Key Men
Arsenal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will carry most of the goal-scoring workload for the Gunners down the left flank. Both Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli will also look to be threatening in front of the opposition goal. Arteta will hope that his centre-backs, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi can find a way to cope with Joelinton’s aerial threat from dead-ball situations.
Newcastle United
Joelinton will have to work his socks off when running the channels up top. The defensive performance of Jamaal Lascelles alongside Federico Fernandez and Ciaran Clark could also affect the outcome of this clash as the Magpies cannot afford to let the home side score the first goal.
Odds
The bookmakers have made Arsenal the favourites to emerge victorious at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday as they are priced at 4/9. The draw has been listed as 15/4 while the Magpies are 15/2 underdogs to pull off an upset versus the North London giants.
