One benefit of not having European competition for the Gunners is that Mikel Arteta had his whole squad to train with this week. They needed it after being handed a sobering 4-0 loss to Liverpool last weekend that put their unbeaten streak into a bit of perspective.
They couldn’t have picked a better side to bounce back against as they take on rock-bottom Newcastle United who may or may not have their new coach, Eddie Howe, in the dugout as he recovers from COVID-19.
It is safe to say Newcastle has been Arsenals whipping boys in the Premier League. Newcastle’s last away victory over Arsenal came almost exactly 11 years ago. The pain doesn’t stop there – Arsenal has won 16 of their last 17 matches against the Magpies overall, scoring at least once in every fixture since that run began.
If the stats weren’t grim enough for Newcastle, Arsenal has also never lost a match that has begun the day in bottom place during the Premier League era. They have won their last eight in a row against the bottom-ranked team in the league with a total aggregate score of 23-2.
Now that I have given you some stats that will mean absolutely nothing come kick-off, let me hit you with some information that might actually make a difference with the Gunners team news
Arsenal vs Newcastle FYIs:
Kick-off time: 12 30 PM GMT, 27 November Saturday
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction: go here
Premier League Preview Pod: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Arsenal (WWWWL) Newcastle (LDLDD)
Arsenal just has a couple of long-term absentees in the treatment room at the moment. First of whom is Sead Kolasinac. The Bosnian suffered an ankle injury in the international window that has just passed and there is still no date for his return to training.
It’s bad news for the left-back who was already down the pecking order at the Emirates and can’t bode well for his future at the club.
There’s slightly brighter news for former captain Granit Xhaka who has been out for quite some time with medial ligament damage in his knee. Coach Mikel Arteta said that there is some hope for the Swiss international to return before the end of 2021. This is big news as it was originally expected he would not even return to training until the New Year.
Arsenal should be straight back to the winner’s circle this week. Newcastle is struggling, and while they are getting closer to registering their first win of the season, I am highly doubtful they will get it away from home against a Gunners side that needs a response after a big loss last week. A big win for the home side.