Following a goalless draw with Crystal Palace, Arsenal will be hoping to get back into winning ways when they face Newcastle United on Monday. The two sides faced each other a week ago in the FA Cup, with the Gunners emerging as 2-0 victors. However, the Magpies are expected to field a much stronger eleven as they look to put an end to their miserable run of form.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup Vs Newcastle United
Defence
Gabriel Magalhaes was among the substitutes in Arsenal’s last game, and it won’t be surprising to see the Brazilian return to action on Monday. He could even replace David Luiz in the starting eleven, thus renewing his central defensive partnership alongside Rob Holding.
Elsewhere, Kieran Tierney was left out of the squad against Crystal Palace as a precaution after a muscle tightness. Although his involvement is not guaranteed in this fixture, we do expect the Scot to return to the setup, at the expense of Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
No changes are likely elsewhere in defence, with Hector Bellerin and Bernd Leno both expected to retain their respective places in the starting lineup on Monday.
Midfield
Thomas Partey made his return to the pitch after another injury layoff in the game against Palace. We could definitely see him getting the nod ahead of Dani Ceballos in central midfield, where he should renew his partnership alongside Granit Xhaka.
The Swiss international was one of the better performers for Arsenal in the last game. His collective urgency alongside Partey could play a key role in helping the Gunners dominate the middle of the park on Monday. As for Ceballos, he remains an alternative should Arteta prefer more creativity in midfield.
Attack
Despite the poor showing against Crystal Palace, Arteta has very few reasons to tinker with the attacking formula that has worked well in recent weeks. As such, we are sure to see Alexandre Lacazette spearheading the Arsenal attack on Monday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka should also retain their place in the wider attacking positions, with Emile Smith Rowe operating as the number ten. We could potentially see Gabriel Martinelli return to the squad after picking up an injury during training, just before the match against Newcastle in the FA Cup last week.
