Newcastle United eager to put points on the board against Arsenal

Posted on September 12th, 2018 | No Comments |

Newcastle United v Arsenal match preview.
Yet another tough fixture for the Magpies.
Newcastle United host Arsenal on Saturday aiming to put a disappointing start to the Premier League season firmly behind them.

The Magpies head into the game 18th in the table, having picked up just one point from four outings this term.

The Gunners opened their campaign with defeats against Manchester City and Chelsea, but have since beaten West Ham United and Cardiff City to climb up to ninth in the standings.

Newcastle will be hoping that Jonjo Shelvey, Javi Manquillo and Matt Ritchie can all return this weekend, but Florian Lejeune remains on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Unai Emery has numerous injury worries to contend with, particularly in defence.

Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are out, meaning Nacho Monreal will continue at left-back, while Laurent Koscielny and Carl Jenkinson also miss the game.

Lucas Torreira is doubtful after suffering a calf injury on international duty with Uruguay, and he will need to pass a late fitness test.

Bookmakers believe Newcastle face an uphill task this weekend, with Rafa Benitez’s side priced at 3/1 to win the game.

Arsenal can be backed at 17/20, while the draw is on offer at 11/4, and punters can use this free bet calculator to work out their potential winnings before wagering on the outcome.

The two sides have met 46 times in the Premier League, with Newcastle claiming just 10 victories. Arsenal have beaten the Magpies on 26 occasions, including nine wins at St James’ Park.

The two sides last met back in April, with Newcastle sealing a 2-1 home win. Alexandre Lacazette fired the visitors ahead, but goals by Ayoze Perez and Ritchie secured the three points.

While Newcastle have struggled for results this season, it is worth noting that Benitez’s side have been beaten by three of last season’s top six.

Things are unlikely to get any easier against the Gunners, but upcoming games against Crystal Palace (A) and Leicester City (H) offer excellent opportunities to get some points on the board.

A trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United live on TV on October 6 will be another difficult test, although the Magpies then face a run of six games against teams they are more than capable of beating.

Benitez has made it clear that he is unhappy with the lack of investment in his playing squad, but he must put that to one side for now to ensure that Newcastle don’t get sucked into a relegation battle.

A repeat of last season’s result against Arsenal would be a great way to kick-start the campaign, although a draw wouldn’t be the worst result in the world.

NUFCBlog Author: Frankly Various Frankly Various has written 67 articles on this blog.

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