Arsenal will tweak their setup to face Newcastle United, with Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli set to start.
Arsenal are all set to take on Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in a pivotal fixture that could decide their fate in the title race. Mikel Arteta has a few decisions ahead of the game, with some selection tweaks likely to facilitate a good result.
When asked about any fresh injury concerns during his pre-match press conference, Arteta simply responded with “No, hopefully not”. But there’s the big concern with Gabriel Magalhaes, who limped off late in that Chelsea game in midweek.
On Gabriel, Arteta said, “We’ll have to see tomorrow how he is, but he could not finish the game [against Chelsea], so that was obviously a big sign for us, and we’ll have to see how he is tomorrow.”
Gabriel Magalhaes may have suffered a knock during the game, and it is believed the problem is not muscular. Moreover, the centre-back was seen walking normally after the game and did not give out the feeling he would miss the next clash. Hence, one can assume Arteta will pick him for the Newcastle clash.
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Arteta then ruled out William Saliba again, with the centre-back yet to recover from a back problem that has kept him out since the beginning of April. The manager said, “Not a lot of progress, he’s feeling better every single day, but he’s still not been able to have any activity around the first team, so we don’t expect him to be with us.”
Arteta will make important calls on the team selection, as he could recall Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli. The duo could replace Jorginho and Leandro Trossard, respectively. Both those stars performed well. But the Chelsea clash was an opportunity to recharge their batteries more than anything else.
Arteta could keep Jakub Kiwior at the back in defence after his impressive display against Chelsea. With Gabriel likely to start, Oleksandr Zinchenko will complete the left-hand side. Ben White will continue at right back. Aaron Ramsdale will keep his place in goal.
Partey will resume his role at the base of midfield, as Arteta will need the Ghanaian midfielder in a fixture of this magnitude. Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard will assume their roles on either side, as the Norwegian will aim to add to his tally from midweek.
Bukayo Saka has had a slight dip in form, something he will hope to recover against Newcastle. Martinelli will likely return to the left-hand side. But if Arteta selects Trossard, it will not come as a surprise. Gabriel Jesus should continue to lead the line and resume his goalscoring form.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Ben White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
