Newcastle United will return to St. James’ Park after a two-week break in play and they will host Arsenal.
After a two-week break from Premier League action, Newcastle United will step back on the field this Saturday when they face Arsenal. This international break in play was much-needed as Newcastle currently sit 18th in the table with one point from four matches to start the 2018-19 campaign.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are still figuring things out under their new manager, Unai Emery. The Gunners find themselves in 9th place with six points and a performance record of two victories and two losses.
Both clubs are desperate to show that they can get out of the current slump they are experiencing and, for this reason, the match should be entertaining. Arsenal are considered the favorites to win, but Newcastle have a good shot at claiming their first victory of the season on Saturday.
Three Points for Newcastle?
In an interview for the media last week, Rafa Benitez claimed that Arsenal is not a dangerous side and that Newcastle will attack the visitors from London. Newcastle played cautious football against Chelsea at home and Manchester City on the road, but when the Magpies attacked Tottenham on opening day they looked great.
Tottenham barely held on to their lead in that match as Newcastle were not backing down and hit the woodwork on two occasions. Why is this worth mentioning? It is important because Tottenham boast a stronger defensive unit than Arsenal and Newcastle were able to create 15 scoring chances in that match.
In their last match, Arsenal struggled against Cardiff City and the Bluebirds from South Wales managed to score two goals on the Gunners. In total, Arsenal have conceded eight goals in their first four matches and this is a great sign for Newcastle.
Fresh Legs and Recovery
Unlike many other clubs, the majority of Newcastle’s players remained on Tyneside during this two-week break as they did not play for their nations in the UEFA Nations League. This break presented Benitez with a great opportunity to host extended training sessions to better prepare for Arsenal. In addition, Benitez is confident that Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Ritchie will be fit and ready to go on Saturday after the two midfielders sustained injuries a few weeks ago.
Arsenal did not enjoy the same fate as some of their key players were called up to play for their respective national teams. The combination of players competing in two matches in three days, traveling across the continent multiple times and readjusting to Emery’s tactical preparations will surely force the Spaniard to make changes to his lineup.