The Magpies only lost twice at home in the Premier League last season and Arsenal beat them 2-0 at St James’ Park towards the end of the campaign.
Newcastle have four wins and one loss in five home Premier League games this term and they will be tough opponents for Arsenal on Monday evening.
Arsenal – who have won five points from behind this term – exited the Carabao Cup in midweek but they and Manchester City are just two points adrift of table-toppers Tottenham Hotspur, who face Chelsea this weekend.
Arteta is aware of how difficult a trip to face Newcastle United will be for his side.
“It’s one of the toughest places to go and win. We have done that before and it’s nothing new to us,” Arteta told reporters.
On Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe: “Huge credit to him. He has transformed the club, environment and atmosphere. I give huge compliments to him for the job he has done.
“The way his team plays and the environment he’s created is great. He’s had a lot of support and now they are big contenders.”
He added: “What has happened in the last five years in this league is unprecedented. The level of the teams is increasing.”
Arteta has also confirmed that Emile Smith Rowe “will be out for weeks” after he recently suffered a fresh injury blow.
“We have another training session so there is a possibility [some players may return], but I don’t know,” Arteta said.
“Nothing has changed with Emile Smith Rowe – he will be out for weeks. We’ll see how he progresses. It’s a big blow because he was getting some minutes.”
On the fitness of Gabriel Martinelli: “He had a little issue but he has felt better in the last few days. He will train today and if he’s fine he will be ready.”Reflecting on the 3-1 defeat to West Ham in midweek, he continued: “It always takes a few days to get over a defeat like that but now we focus on Newcastle. I don’t think the scoreline reflects the performance but we move on.
“You have to be at it and if you take your foot off the gas against any opponent at this level, you get punished.
“We dropped in one phase in the second half and we need to find a different way to recover to keep momentum. The way we played in the second half was not good enough.”
0 Comments