Arsenal vs Newcastle Prediction & Betting Tips - Premier League

Prediction published on 16/01/2021, 00:59  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 16/01/2021 at 01:03 in Premier League Predictions

Arsenal and Newcastle United are set for rematch, at the Emirates Stadium just nine days after their FA Cup third round fixture which Arsenal had to dig deep for a 2-0 win in extra time. The two sides have had contrasting fortunes in recent matches. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five matches and on the table, are 11th with 24 points while Newcastle have 19 points. While Arsenal are unbeaten in five matches, there’s still some sense of bluntness in their attack. Well, they did beat Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion with comfortable margins, but they haven’t been very convincing in attack. In the last two matches, they failed to score in regular time. Against Newcastle United, in the FA Cup, it took them 120 minutes to see off the clash. More recently, against Crystal Palace, the Gunners were back to their misfiring selves and were lucky to even get a point in the 0-0 draw. Defensively they have been solid though, with four straight clean sheets and having conceded just one goal in five matches. Against Crystal Palace, Arsenal missed two key men in defence – Pablo Mari and Kieran Tierney, and David Luiz had a shaky evening. With Mari set to return and Gabriel having been on the bench, we expect a lot of solidity at the back, though Tierney is still expected to miss. Thomas Partey will offer more defensive options in midfield after coming from the bench against Palace so Arsenal should only worry about the attack. They are unbeaten in their last three home matches but have just one win in seven league games there. That has largely been a result of a blunt attack, the team having failed to score in four of the seven games. With the defensive options available, Arsenal should be able to improve on their run of just one clean sheet in nine home league matches this season.

Newcastle United, on the other hand, carry to this game the unwanted tag of being the first team to lose to Sheffield United in the league this season. They lost 1-0 to the bottom placed side in their last game, and had Ryan Fraser sent off, which means he is unavailable for this game. Allan Saint-Maximin is also set to miss due to Covid-19 effects while Jamal Lewis, Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett will be subjected to late fitness tests. The loss to Sheffield left Newcastle winless in eight matches and they have just one clean sheet in nine. They have failed to score in four of their last five matches and have conceded two or more in three of their last five games. It has been worse for the Magpies away from home, losing each of the last five and failing to score in any of the last four. They have two wins in eight away matches in the league this season and will be the outright underdogs here.