Arsenal welcome Newcastle United in today’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are presently behind Manchester City at the top of the table on goals scored, and they need to beat the Magpies by a healthy margin to boost their title pursuit.
Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed a timely boost with Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori back in the mix after recovering from respective injuries.
We anticipate Arteta to make at least three changes from the 2-1 loss at Man City last weekend.
Two defensive changes
Cristhian Mosquera got the nod over Ben White at right-back against the Cityzens, primarily to curb the attacking threat of Jeremy Doku. However, we anticipate the latter to return to the starting XI today.
With Anthony Gordon ruled out for the Magpies, Harvey Barnes is likely to start on the left wing. White should be able to handle Barnes while providing an attacking outlet with his overlapping runs.
Calafiori, signed for £42 million, could be reinstated straight into the XI at left-back over Piero Hincapie. Kieran Trippier is poised to start at right-back for the Magpies with Tino Livramento ruled out of the encounter.
Calafiori’s attacking qualities should be handy in getting Arsenal into commanding positions in the opposition half, unlike Hincapie, who tends to be more cautious and defensive-minded.
Bukayo Saka returns
Saka has been deemed fit to make his comeback. The Englishman has been out since the last international break, but the manager said that he is in the right space ahead of the game.
The 24-year-old should get straight into the XI ahead of Noni Madueke, who had a poor outing against the Cityzens last time around. The ex-Chelsea man was substituted at the half-time interval.
Arteta has been reluctant to unleash wonderkid Max Dowman from the starting line-up in the league thus far. The youngster could feature as a second-half substitute against the Magpies if required.