Prediction: Arsenal vs Newcastle

With the two sides sitting level on points in the Premier League standings, there will clearly be a lot at stake when Arsenal host Newcastle at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon. And while the Gunners are desperate to make amends for yet another disappointing defeat, the Magpies are looking for another major scalp after defeating Chelsea last weekend.

Arsenal may have won four of their last matches in all competitions, but with one of these being a dead rubber against Galatasaray and the Gunners far from impressive in narrow wins over West Brom and Southampton, the team clearly have a lot of room for improvement. And while Arsene Wenger’s charges can take some heart from their second-half performance against Stoke and a very good win in Istanbul, the fact they conceded three cheap goals at the Britannia within the opening 45 minutes is a major cause for concern ahead of the clash with high-flying Newcastle. Arsenal attackers should look a bit sharper after they finally managed to get some rest, while Aaron Ramsey’s impressive double at Turk Telekom Arena could suggest the Welshman is slowly returning to his best. However, serious problems lie on the other end of the pitch, despite the fact that Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny are back to the side after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. With holding midfielder not providing enough cover and the back line still pretty shaky, this is likely to be the third successive game in which the Gunners will fail to keep a clean sheet. There have been more good news for Arsene Wenger as Tomas Rosicky and David Ospina resumed training, but Mikel Arteta and Nacho Monreal remain sidelined.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew could be forgiven for thinking he was cursed with everything he’s been forced to endure since the season started, but we have to give him credit for helping the team turn this season around. The Magpies are now back in the top half of the standings and have a chance to mount a serious top 6 challenge, with their results even more impressive when we know the squad has been stripped to bare bones in recent weeks. Inexperienced goalkeeper Jak Alnwick will enjoy a baptism of fire at the Emirates as he is set for his first ever Premier League start with both Tim Krul and Robert Elliot out injured. The 21-year-old got a taste of the action in the impressive 2-1 triumph over Chelsea, but no doubt he will be under tremendous pressure at the Emirates. Meanwhile, Moussa Sissoko and Steven Taylor are banned, while none of the injured players is ready to return, which creates additional problems for Alan Pardew. Nevertheless, given the good form of Papiss Cisse and the excellent atmosphere in the squad, I am positive Newcastle can create problems for Arsenal defenders on Saturday.

Conclusion

The excellent 4-1 victory over Galatasaray could prove to be a major boost for the Gunners even if it was achieved with virtually a second-string line-up, but injury-hit Newcastle can be trusted to exploit Arsenal’s defensive weaknesses. Having said that, we should see a high-scoring match at the Emirates that the hosts might just edge out.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: bet365