Arguably the biggest decision for Howe is at centre-back; Burn or Kelly? We benefited from the latter’s pace and athleticism at times in midweek. He was superb and made some vital blocks, however, I think Burn will come back in, rightly or wrongly, especially given his dominance in the air as we prepare to face by far the best team from set pieces in the league.
I don’t think Willock will start twice in four days given his lack of minutes so far this season, leaving room for a midfield three of Longstaff, Bruno and Tonali; who could interchange with Bruno between a No.6 and left-sided No.8 who can link up with Joelinton (LW) and use his pace to help track danger man Saka down Arsenal’s right.
Match prediction: Newcastle 1-1 Arsenal
This will be a real test of our mettle at both ends of the pitch. They are a tough nut to crack, physically big, strong in midfield and dangerous in attack, but they’ll be against a Newcastle side buoyed by our midweek win and desperate to kickstart our league season after five without a win.
I don’t see us taking all three points and my head tells me Arsenal might just edge it, but I’m leading with my heart and backing us to come away with a big point.
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