‘Jurrien Timber returns to the matchday roster, Thomas Partey will partner Rice, and Nketiah will lead the attack’: Predicted Arsenal XI against Newcastle – Arteta is expected to embarrass Newcastle at home today for robbing them in their first encounter.

Following a disheartening setback to Porto in midweek, Arsenal will aim to rebound against Newcastle on Saturday. The Gunners’ European tournament savvy was brought into question following their Champions League loss on Wednesday night, and Mikel Arteta has said it is something his team can improve.

“Yes, we can certainly develop a lot of things, and those experiences are really relevant to judge whether we were or weren’t,” he stated in his pre-match press conference. “Just because a goal was scored, I don’t think it’s fair, and I made that obvious to them because I thought they did a lot of things correctly. However, there is certainly room for improvement in terms of game management.

Arsenal will know they cannot afford to waste time feeling sorry for themselves against a similarly streetwise Newcastle team. The Gunners are still five points behind the leaders in the Premier League, but with Liverpool playing in the Carabao Cup this weekend, they have a chance to cut that gap to two.

As a result, Mikel Arteta’s team selection must be spot-on. Thank goodness for football.London Arsenal writers Kaya Kaynak, Husmukh Kerai, and Joe Doyle are on hand to assist.

Husmukh Kerai, Central Audience Editor.
Arsenal lacked Jorginho’s calm and poise from the start of their Champions League defeat to Porto; he needs to return to the midfield, where he performed against Liverpool a few weeks ago. Against a combative Newcastle side that will spend the majority of the game without the ball, I believe it is prudent to play Declan Rice as the deepest midfielder to prevent possible counter-attacks.

Leandro Trossard played largely anonymously against Porto, but I would remove Gabriel Martinelli from the assault. There is unlikely to be any space behind Newcastle’s defence, thus Trossard is a better option on the left wing.

Kerai’s Arsenal XI vs Newcastle: Raya; Kiwior, Gabriel, Saliba, White; Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard; Trossard, Havertz, Saka.

Joe Doyle, content editor.
While it’s a quick turnaround from a midweek game to a big Saturday night match, I don’t expect Mikel Arteta to make many changes. Yes, a few players are returning from injury, but if they are not fully healthy, they should not start.

The back five is currently picking itself, thanks to recent form and a lack of alternative options. Further forward, I believe we may see Kai Havertz shift into attack to play as a No.10 alongside Martin Odegaard, as he did well against Liverpool, with Leandro Trossard dropping to the bench after a lack of impact in Porto.