Arsenal predicted lineup vs Newcastle - Premier League
- Arsenal must react to Champions League loss against Porto
- Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko not expected to feature against Newcastle
- Kai Havertz could play as the main striker
By Euan Burns
Arsenal will be taking on Newcastle at the Emirates on Saturday night with the chance of moving within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Gunners faced Porto in the Champions League during the week and whilst they fell to a late 1-0 defeat, there were no fresh injury concerns for Mikel Arteta. He actually managed to welcome Fabio Vieira back to the squad from injury, but Thomas Partey is only managing to train so far.
Other important players like Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Jesus are also injured, so the boss cannot change much about his team for this Premier League match against the Magpies.
Here is Arteta's likely starting lineup for Arsenal vs Newcastle.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Newcastle (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya - Mikel Arteta put his eggs even further into the David Raya basket as the Spaniard started in the Champions League over Aaron Ramsdale, so the goalkeeper must repay that faith and be as solid as possible during the run-in.
RB: Ben White - There were lots of players making their Champions League knockout round debuts on Wednesday and Ben White was one of them. He struggled to impress in Portugal and must step it up with each game having so much riding on it now.
CB: William Saliba - Usually unflappable, William Saliba did not show his best against Porto and will be keen to make amends with a big display here. He may have learned a thing or two from the 40-year-old Pepe in the Porto defence.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes - Just like Saliba, fans will want to see more assuredness from Gabriel than they saw in Porto, although he did not make any major mistakes. Opta claims he hasn't made an error leading to a goal since August 2022.
LB: Jakub Kiwior - Oleksandr Zinchenko is not expected to return, so Jakub Kiwior will have to continue in this left-back role that does not entirely suit him. He is winning many fans round, though, despite almost leaving on loan in January.
CM: Martin Odegaard - He was barely given a second on the ball in midweek and Newcastle will try and deploy similar tactics against Martin Odegaard. A player like Lewis Miley will not make it easy for him but Odegaard is not easy for any midfielder to track. There's a reason he was the first player in Europe's top-five leagues to reach 50 open-play chances created in 2023/24.
CM: Declan Rice - The Englishman will hope to have more control over the pace of the game than he did in the Champions League, but Bruno Guimaraes will make that tough for him. He remained bullish after the loss in midweek, saying: "We know what to do, we know how to win."
CM: Jorginho - Having impressed in the big game against Liverpool, Arteta could bring the Italian into the midfield here to try and gain better control over the tempo.
RW: Bukayo Saka - These are the games where a player like Bukayo Saka has to step up and lead. A goal or two certainly would not go amiss for the winger. He was recently called 'world-class' by William Gallas, so that ought to spur him on.
ST: Kai Havertz - He has not played in this role much lately, but with Gabriel Jesus out injured, Arteta is set to drop Leandro Trossard and give Kai Havertz another shot upfront.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli - He has five Premier League goals this season which is not enough considering how often he starts. The Brazilian has work to do if he wants to keep this spot next season.
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