Arsenal will be hoping to build on their 3-1 midweek win over Chelsea against an in-form Newcastle side who have won eight of their last nine Premier League matches. The Magpies have lost just once at St James’ Park all season and will be looking for a repeat of last season’s 2-0 win over The Gunners as they look to take a step closer to Champions League qualification.
While Newcastle assess the fitness of Allan Saint-Maximin and Sean Longstaff, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has ruled William Saliba out for the match due to his ongoing lower back injury. Saliba hasn’t featured for Arsenal since picking up the injury against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League back in March.
There are fears Saliba could end up being out for the remainder of the season but Arteta is still hopeful that he will see the Frenchman back in action this month. “We are not there yet today,” the Arsenal head coach responded when asked if Saliba would miss the rest of the season. “Because we’re always hopeful and players are pushing to play. If that’s the case at some stage we’ll announce it. But hopefully that’s not the case.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is a doubt after being forced off in Tuesday’s win over Chelsea. The Brazilian missed training ahead of the trip to St James’ Park with a late call set to be made.
Here is the Arsenal predicted line-up to face Newcastle United...
