Newcastle United will face Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned his Premier League title contenders they can’t afford to pay too much attention to Newcastle United’s poor run of form as the two sides prepare to meet at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Gunners were knocked off the top spot in the Premier League earlier this week as they fell to a narrow defeat at title rivals Manchester City before Pep Guardiola’s men took over at the summit with a hard-earned win at Burnley. However, there is an opportunity for Arteta’s men to apply some serious pressure to City as they face Newcastle and Fulham over the next week and that means they can be six points clear by the time their nearest rivals return to league action at Everton on Monday week.
Some have suggested Newcastle’s uninspiring form means Saturday evening’s visit to the Emirates Stadium will be a formality for their hosts as Eddie Howe’s side look to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat after they emerged without a point from games with Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth over the last month. However, Arteta has cast aside any thoughts of underestimating the Magpies as his side look to take another step towards capturing the first league title of his managerial reign.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Gunners boss said: “We know the difficulty of the league, and I'm very clear that the ability and the quality of Newcastle, what Eddie’s done with that team, and continues to do, we know how tough the opponent is going to be tomorrow. We have to be at our best, and if we do that, we're going to have a big chance of winning it.”
He continued: “Every game will be different. Focus on the priorities and the things that we can do to help the players arrive in the best state possible with the team. Make sure that we have all the players available, which is one of the most important things and a big lesson that we'll learn from it. And give them confidence and trust and belief that we're going to do it. That's it.”
Key man returns
Bukayo Sakaplaceholder image
Bukayo Saka | Getty Images
There was a major boost for Arteta ahead of the weekend after he revealed Bukayo Saka will return to contention in time to face Newcastle after remaining on the sidelines with an Achilles issue over the last month. The winger has not appeared since his side’s Carabao Cup final defeat against Manchester City and the Gunners boss has explained why he is now ready to return.
When asked why the England star had been given time to recover, Arteta said: “Because it was a long-term injury. Now time for himself that I mean you are not connected with the team every day so I think it was a good moment for him as well to reflect on that to have some peace, because we've been constantly asking and demanding him, and it was a moment to say, okay, now when you feel ready let us know and we'll go for it.”
Continue Reading