Arsenal welcome Newcastle United to the Emirates Stadium on Monday night, with both sides looking to break into the top half of the Premier League table.
The Gunners sit eleventh in the table on 24 points – two points behind tenth-place West Ham United and five points ahead of fifteenth-place Newcastle.
Great to see you back out there last night, @ThomasPartey22 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/DCTkbtDLsc— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 15, 2021
Great to see you back out there last night, @ThomasPartey22 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/DCTkbtDLsc
Arsenal head into Monday’s clash on a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions, with four wins and a draw coming since Christmas.
In fact, Mikel Arteta’s men have already beaten Newcastle in January, claiming a 2-0 victory in the FA Cup third round.
The Gunners’ three-game winning streak in the Premier League was brought to an end by Crystal Palace on Thursday.
Despites seeing 68% possession and recording 11 shots, Arsenal were held to a frustrating goalless draw by the Eagles.
However, after starting the season so poorly, Arteta has undoubtedly turned things around since the turn of the year. Things are looking up for the Gunners.
By contrast, Newcastle haven’t won since mid-December, suffering six defeats and two draws since then.
Having been knocked out of both the EFL Cup and FA Cup, the Magpies handed Sheffield United their first win of the season last time out.
Following Ryan Fraser’s first-half red card, Steve Bruce’s men finished the game with just 33% possession and faced 17 shots in a 1-0 defeat at Bramall Lane.
Only four teams in the division have scored fewer goals than Newcastle this season, while only five sides have a poorer defensive record.
A six-game winless run in the Premier League means the Magpies are just seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Head-to-head: A we already know, Arsenal beat Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup less than a fortnight ago, with Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netting the goals.
The Gunners haven’t lost to the Magpies since 2018, with five straight wins coming in all competitions since then – including four successive clean sheets for Arteta’s side.
Team news: Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli are all injury doubts for Arsenal, although Thomas Partey and Gabriel have returned to full fitness.
As for Newcastle, Ryan Fraser is suspended following his red card in the previous game. Jamal Lewis, Jonjo Shelvey, Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett are all doubts.
Arsenal missed the opportunity to secure a fourth straight league victory last time out, but they are likely to return to winning ways on Monday.
Forbet predicts that Arsenal will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to toppling the Magpies.