Newcastle made a statement by comfortably defeating defending champions Manchester United 3-0 on Wednesday. This remarkable victory marked a stark departure from their last encounter at Wembley during the EFL Cup final in February, where Manchester United ended their six-year trophy drought. This time, Newcastle exacted their revenge, achieving their best away win at Old Trafford in 93 years.
Miguel Almiron, Lewis Hall, and Joe Willock's goals left Manchester United in a state of gloom. Eddie Howe's side also booked a spot in the EFL Cup quarter-finals against Chelsea, breaking their two-game winless streak following losses to Borussia Dortmund and a 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, Newcastle seemed fatigued from their recent Champions League endeavors, relinquishing a lead twice in their match against Wolverhampton, settling for a draw that leaves them in sixth place in the league with 17 points from 10 matches. Their Champions League qualification prospects currently seem remote, with Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa all vying for those coveted positions.
Newcastle has shown its potential to disrupt Arsenal's title ambitions while boosting their own hopes. They have won their last three Premier League home games without conceding a single goal, rekindling the defensive strength they displayed in the 2022-23 season. Arsenal, on the other hand, has not won the EFL Cup since 1993 and must continue to wait for mid-season glory after a subpar performance against West Ham.
West Ham's victory featured a couple of fortunate moments, with VAR likely disallowing Ben White's own goal due to a foul on Aaron Ramsdale and a deflected Jarrod Bowen shot that deceived Ramsdale. However, Mohammed Kudus's spectacular goal demonstrated sheer skill, and Martin Odegaard's late consolation could not salvage Arsenal's EFL Cup campaign.
Some might argue that an early exit from the EFL Cup is a blessing in disguise for Arsenal as they aim for Premier League and Champions League success. The Gunners currently sit second in the Premier League standings, having remained unbeaten in their first 10 games, with only Tottenham ahead of them.
Furthermore, they possess the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just two goals, both of which came at Stamford Bridge last month. Arsenal defeated Newcastle 2-0 at St James' Park six months ago, while the Magpies managed to secure a goalless draw against Arsenal at the Emirates.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Newcastle's remarkable performance at Old Trafford becomes even more praiseworthy when considering their team selection. They had to rest several key players due to their growing injury list, which unfortunately got longer when Matt Targett suffered a severe-looking hamstring injury just five minutes into the game on Wednesday. Targett was expected to make way for Dan Burn anyway.The list of absentees for Newcastle is quite extensive, with Javier Manquillo (groin), Lewis Miley (illness), Alexander Isak (groin), Sven Botman (knee), Elliot Anderson (back), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), Harvey Barnes (foot), and the suspended Sandro Tonali all unavailable.
Despite Joe Willock's impressive performance and a great goal at St James' Park, he is likely to be rested due to recent fitness concerns. Newcastle will see the return of Bruno Guimaraes, Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Miguel Almiron, and Callum Wilson to the starting lineup.
Arsenal also faces injury woes, having lost Emile Smith Rowe to a knee injury before their defeat to West Ham. Smith Rowe is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. Additionally, Thomas Partey (muscle) and Gabriel Jesus (hamstring) are unlikely to play for Arsenal until late November or early December. Jurrien Timber is still on the long road to recovery from his ACL injury.
The return of key players like Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Declan Rice, and William Saliba will be a welcome sight for Arsenal. In goal, David Raya will replace Aaron Ramsdale, who had a challenging outing at the London Stadium.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:Pope; Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Gordon
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
EXPERT PREDICTION
Newcastle 2-2 Arsenal
Both teams will welcome key players back into their starting lineups. However, considering Newcastle's solid home defense and Arsenal's remarkable defensive record on the road, it's likely that we'll see a low-scoring match that ends in a draw. Arsenal will continue their unbeaten run in the Premier League.
