Following Thursday’s North London Derby defeat, Arsenal will be looking to get their top-four bid back on track when they face Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Monday night.
As it stands, the Gunners find themselves fourth in the Premier League table – one point ahead of fifth-place Tottenham with two games remaining.
📺 Eddie Howe's pre-#NEWARS press conference is now available to watch on NUFC TV.⚫️⚪️— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 12, 2022
📺 Eddie Howe's pre-#NEWARS press conference is now available to watch on NUFC TV.⚫️⚪️
On the flip side, Newcastle sit in fourteenth place – 11 points clear of the relegation zone and 23 points behind Arsenal.
Newcastle were thrashed 5-0 by Manchester City last time out. Pep Guardiola’s side racked up a whopping 21 shots, while Eddie Howe’s men saw just 28% possession.
Last weekend’s defeat means that Newcastle head into Monday’s clash on a two-game losing run, having fallen to Liverpool the week before.
However, it is worth pointing out that Newcastle enjoyed a four-match winning streak before losing to Liverpool and Man City – seeing off Wolves, Leicester, Crystal Palace and Norwich.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Magpies have won ten of their previous 16 Premier League outings. They can take huge confidence from that.
As for Arsenal, they were crushed 3-0 by Spurs on Thursday. Harry Kane killed the game with a first-half brace, while Rob Holding was sent off before the break.
The Gunners were enjoying a four-game winning streak before the North London Derby, having seen off Chelsea (4-2), Manchester United (3-1), West Ham (2-1) and Leeds (2-1).
Let’s not forget that Mikel Arteta’s men have also won ten of their previous 15 Premier League encounters.
Having won 14 of their 21 Premier League games since mid-December, Arsenal will be confident of returning to winning ways on Monday.
Head-to-head: Not only have Arsenal won each of the last eight meetings between these two sides, but they have also won 18 of the previous 19. Talk about dominance!
It is also worth noting that Newcastle have failed to score in each of their past seven games against the Gunners.
Team news: Newcastle look set to be without Isaac Hayden, Ryan Fraser, Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock and Jamal Lewis for Monday’s clash.
As for Arsenal, they will be without Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney for the remainder of the season. Ben White and Bukayo Saka are also doubts for Monday.
It is no secret that Newcastle have made vast improvements under Howe. Still, Arsenal should be too strong for the Magpies.
Forebet predicts that Arsenal will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Newcastle.