Arsenal meet Newcastle in a crucial Premier League showdown in the race for a top-five finish.
Victory will see Arsenal all but mathematically secure another runner-up finish, whilst Newcastle can leapfrog the Gunners into second with a win and then only secure a top-five finish if Manchester City lose to Bournemouth on Tuesday.
Team News
Mikel Merino is suspended for Arsenal following his red card in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool last weekend.
Kai Havertz (hamstring) and Declan Rice (muscle) could both return, but Leandro Trossard (hamstring) is a doubt and faces a late fitness check.
Gabriel (hamstring), Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu (both knee) remain sidelined.
Newcastle could be without Sven Botman after he was substituted in their 2-0 home win over Chelsea with a knee injury.
Kieran Trippier (calf) and Joe Willock (hamstring) face late fitness checks, but Matt Targett (hamstring), Joelinton (knee) and Lewis Hall (foot) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Arsenal host Newcastle at Emirates Stadium on Sunday 18 May at 4:30pm BST, live on Sky Sports in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Arsenal have lost three of their last six league meetings against Newcastle (W2, D1, L3).
- Newcastle are winless in their last 12 league visits to Arsenal (D1, L11), since they won 1-0 in November 2010.
- Eddie Howe’s Magpies have kept clean sheets in four of their last five meetings against Arsenal in all competitions (W4, L1).
- Arsenal have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven league games (W2, D4, L1).
- No European player has scored more goals in this season’s Premier League than Newcastle’s Alexander Isak (23).
Prediction
Although their priority had been on the Champions League in the run-in, Arsenal have done well to lose just once after staging a clinical second-half comeback at Liverpool following a sluggish first half with little attacking quality.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners though need to focus now because if they lose this then they are certainly in a final-day dogfight for a top-five finish despite their superior goal difference, although they do have an easy-looking trip to Southampton so I do think that they will be fine regardless of what happens here.
Newcastle meanwhile absolutely brought plenty of fighting spirit and dominance to beat Chelsea at home and now have a chance to close in on a top-five finish with a win here, but they will need to replicate their clinical displays of this season if want to end their poor league record at the Emirates Stadium.
Nevertheless both teams do feel evenly-matched coming into this game but if Newcastle can stay composed and frustrate Arsenal who have been leaky lately, I can see them nicking this otherwise it will surely end in a draw.
Prediction: Arsenal 0-1 Newcastle
Result: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle
Leave a Reply