Premier League preview: Newcastle v Arsenal

Newcastle and Arsenal will kick off their English Premier League campaigns on Saturday – at the scene of their 4-4 thriller last term.

Cheick Tiote’s long-range volley earned Alan Pardew’s men an extraordinary draw, after Arsenal had led 4-0 after just 26 minutes in their clash at St James’ Park in February.

The memory will no doubt be fresh in the minds of both players and supporters, but Saturday’s clash will be a stern reminder to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that such results cannot happen to teams vying for the Premier League title.

Wenger’s off-season woes have been numerous, with stars Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri linked to moves away from the London club, and striker Robin van Persie – who scored a brace last time the two teams met – picking up an ankle injury in their 2-1 friendly loss to Benfica to further derail their preparations.

But if Wenger thinks his problems are anything to worry about at the Emirates Stadium, he should spare a thought for his opposing manager Pardew.

The Magpies boss lost captain Kevin Nolan to West Ham in the off-season – adding to the January loss of Andy Carroll to Liverpool – with Jose Enrique set to join Carroll at Liverpool, and Joey Barton also likely to be transferred elsewhere.

The exodus of star talent up north paints a grim picture for the months ahead for Pardew, as his side were only seven points from the drop last term, and that was with the aforementioned players.

To cover for the losses, Pardew has brought in Yohan Cabaye, Sylvain Marveaux, Demba Ba, Mehdi Abeid and Gabriel Obertan – all of who are either French or French-born (Ba).

Newcastle should have a lot of money up their sleeve after the sale of Carroll for 35 million pounds, but their reluctance to spend may see them lose a significant portion of that should the famous club drop back into the Championship for the second time in three years.