⚔️NEWCASTLE VS ARSENAL

🏟 Venue: St. James' Park

⏰ Kick Off: 16:30 BST

📡 UK Broadcaster: Sky Sports

🧑‍⚖️ Referee: Jarred Gillet

🖥️ VAR: Darren England

❤️ Arsenal Team News:

Gabriel Jesus: Knee injury (Major surgery), ruled out

Kai Havertz: Knee injury, ruled out

Chukwunonso Madueke: Knee injury, ruled out

Martin Ødegaard: Shoulder injury, returned to training, possible

Piero Hincapié: Groin/hip/pelvic injury, ruled out

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩🟧🟩🟩🟥

🖤🤍 Newcastle Team News:

Jacob Ramsey: Ankle/foot injury, ruled out

Yoane Wissa: Knee injury, ruled out

Fabian Schär: Head/face injury, ruled out

⚽ Newcastle Form: 🟩🟧🟥🟩🟧

🆚 Head-to-Head:

Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle United (18 May 2025, Premier League)

Newcastle United 2-0 Arsenal (5 February 2025, EFL Cup)

Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle United(7 January 2025, EFL Cup)

Newcastle United 1-0 Arsenal (2 November 2024, Premier League)

Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle United (24 February 2024, Premier League)

📌 Match Facts:

Arsenal haven’t won at St. James’ Park since May 2023.
Mikel Arteta’s managerial record vs. Newcastle: P17 W5 D5 L7.
Jarred Gillett, barred from officiating Liverpool matches due to his declared support, has already been involved in three Arsenal fixtures this season.
Darren England, on VAR, awarded Everton a highly contentious penalty in April, one that should never have stood, which contributed to Arsenal dropping two points. In the same match, he issued a yellow card following a VAR review, a procedure that is explicitly outside VAR’s remit.

🗒️ Pre-Match Ramblings
This is a fixture I dread every time it appears on the calendar, and last season it came around more often than necessary. Newcastle humiliated us 4-0 on aggregate in the EFL Cup semi-finals. Something about St. James’ Park always unsettles me. With the away end seemingly a mile from the pitch, referees wilting under the crowd, and Newcastle’s relentlessly abrasive style, my confidence takes a hit before a ball is kicked.

We’re still working out exactly what, and who, we are this season. Yes, there have been positive results, but the performances have often been more concerning than convincing. In Ødegaard’s absence, and I suspect he’ll be on the bench on Sunday, Arteta seems wedded to a midfield of Zubimendi, Rice, and Merino, a trio most supporters and pundits agree simply doesn’t gel. I can see him rolling with it again against Newcastle, not least because Zubimendi may struggle with the physicality Newcastle bring.

On selection: Eze has to start. Given the midfield conundrum, that likely means the left flank. Eze doesn’t love hugging the touchline; he thrives in the half-spaces typically occupied by our left-sided No. 8, which in turn demands the left-back provide the width. Can Calafiori do that? Possibly, though he’s been excellent in the freer, roaming role he’s enjoyed so far. The profiles we have in different areas feel misaligned with where our strengths actually lie. Could Arteta even bench Declan Rice to accommodate Eze in his preferred zone?

Newcastle, for their part, have a single league win this season, and it came at SJP against bottom-placed Wolves. They’ll be desperate to spark their campaign, and who better to do it against than an Arsenal side wrestling with its identity. Newcastle and their supporters are always up for this one. Curiously, a summer mood swing seems to have redirected a chunk of their ire toward Liverpool more than us, so perhaps the atmosphere will have a different edge, given the title-race context.

📡 Live Scoring & Updates:

Scoreline:
Newcastle United 0–0 Arsenal
***updates coming soon.