Newcastle United will travel south to take on Arsenal at the Emirates after a poor home display against Everton in midweek. Rafael Benitez saw his team succumb to their tenth league defeat of the season when the Magpies lost out to a Wayne Rooney goal on Wednesday night. To make things worse, Jonjo Shelvey received a red card in injury time to rub salt into the Newcastle wounds. They will now look to bounce back against the Gunners as they fight to not get dragged into the relegation dogfight. The Tyneside club currently finds themselves in 16th place in the Premier League standings, just a point away from the relegation zone. It’s high time that Rafael Benitez’s men started picking up points in the league, with a potential takeover looming on the horizon.
The recent history of this fixture doesn’t make good reading for the Toon Army. The Magpies have lost their last nine encounters with the Gunners. It will definitely be a cause for concern with the Tyneside club desperate to pick up a result at the Emirates. It is expected that Rafael Benitez will opt for a 4-4-1-1 formation and make three changes to his side that lost at home to the Toffees.
4-4-1-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Arsenal
Defence
Rob Elliot might return in goal for the Magpies after Karl Darlow’s error which led to the Everton goal in midweek. He will be protected by a back four consisting of DeAndre Yedlin at right-back, Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune at the heart of their backline and Javier Manquillo on the left side of the defence.
The Magpies have conceded 26 goals in 17 league matches so far. It will be up to their defenders to keep the Arsenal attackers at bay if they are to have any chance on Saturday.
Midfield
Mikel Merino and Isacc Hayden are expected to start in central midfield following Jonjo Shelvey’s red card versus Everton. Christian Atsu will take his place on the left flank while Matt Ritchie does the same on the right. It will be up to Atsu and Ritchie to show their pace and creativity in the final third and makeup chances for Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez to thrive on.
Attack
Ayoze Perez will play in the shoulders of Dwight Gayle, who will once again lead the line for the Magpies. The duo has collectively scored just four goals in the league this season and Rafael Benitez will have his fingers crossed for them to add to their tally versus Arsenal on Saturday.
