Arsenal predicted line-up vs. Newcastle United: three key changes made as £82m trio miss out

Two of the Premier League’s form sides go head-to-head on Saturday evening, with Newcastle United playing host to high-flying Arsenal at St. James’ Park. The Magpies haven’t lost a domestic fixture since the beginning of September, and will be aiming to extend an unbeaten run that has taken them to sixth in the table.

For their part, the Gunners continue to thrive under Mikel Arteta despite being dumped out of the Carabao Cup by West Ham in midweek, and will be eager to keep within touching distance of bitter rivals Tottenham at the summit. Their last league outing ended in a comfortable 5-0 win over a struggling Sheffield United, with Eddie Nketiah scoring a hat-trick against the Blades.

But how will both sides line up on Tyneside this weekend? We’ve taken a closer look at their respective team news and their predicted XIs below...

Newcastle United Team News

Newcastle have been on a rotten run of luck with regards to injuries recently, and are likely to be missing a number of key names at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening. Defender Sven Botman is expected to be sidelined for a while after suffering a knee injury in September’s 8-0 trouncing of Sheffield United, while star striker Alexander Isak is also absent, and may not feature again until after this month’s international break.

Elsewhere, wide men Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy are also ruled out, while midfielder Elliot Anderson - widely tipped for a breakout campaign this season - is expected to be on the treatment table for anywhere up to two months after sustaining a back complaint recently. Summer signing Sandro Tonali has just started a 10-month ban from competitive action for alleged breaches of betting regulations during his time with previous club AC Milan.

Newcastle United Predicted XI

Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn; Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton; Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson, Anthony Gordon.

Arsenal Team News

Arsenal are not short on injury concerns either, and could be without a number of first team stars for their trip to the North East. The latest casualty in Arteta’s squad is Emile Smith Rowe, who picked up a knee problem ahead of Wednesday’s defeat against West Ham. While it is unclear just yet as to exactly how long he might be out for, the expectation is that it could be a number of weeks.

Alongside the academy graduate, the Gunners are likely to be missing Thomas Partey, who suffered a thigh injury in training last week, while captain Martin Odegaard may only be fit enough to start on the bench against the Magpies. The Norwegian is carrying a slight knock to his hip, but the issue is understood to be a minor one, and he may even be risked from the first whistle depending on how he feels come Saturday.

Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus is out with a hamstring problem, while Jurrien Timber may not feature again this season after damaging his ACL on the opening weekend.

Arsenal Predicted XI

David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Takehiro Tomiyasu; Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira; Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli.