Predicted Newcastle team v Arsenal | OneFootball

Looking at the Newcastle team v Arsenal.

The NUFC players hoping to make it nine wins (and one draw, one defeat) from eleven games.

Premier League victories over Chelsea, Ipswich, West Ham, Brentford, Leicester, Man U and Palace, plus of course in the middle of that, the magnificent performance and triumph at Wembley against Liverpool.

United having only that one defeat at Villa in these past two and a half months, plus the 1-1 at Brighton, the first Newcastle United drawn match in over five months.

So, what can we expect the Newcastle team v Arsenal to be?

On Friday morning, Eddie Howe giving an injury and availability update:

Eddie Howe on Joelinton:

“He’s working away behind the scenes.

“Typical Joe he’s absolutely foot to the floor trying to get fit because he wants to be involved.

“The biggest possibility is that we don’t see him again this season and we’ll get him ready for next year.”

Eddie Howe on Sven Botman:

“It was a knock, he got a bang on his knee.

“We’re not sure about Sven’s availability for the weekend but we’ll give him a chance to be fit. We don’t think it’s a serious injury.

“He’s been unlucky. You’re going to get knocks and bruises in his position and this is a similar thing, he’s been really unlucky on the last two occasions.”

Eddie Howe on Kieran Trippier and Joe Willock:

“Kieran I don’t think will be fit for this weekend but again it’s not a big injury, a very minor calf problem.

“Joe – we’ll leave the door open for him, I think he’s got a slight chance.”

So where does that leave us…?

I think that actually with both teams, it is very difficult to predict who will start for Newcastle United and Arsenal.

Tomiyasu, Jesus, Gabriel and Merino will definitely not be involved today for Arsenal, however, it is unclear with the likes of Rice, Havertz, Trossard and Martinelli as to whether they will be able to considered for the starting eleven.

With Newcastle United, I think we definitely won’t have Hall, Targett or Trippier available.

However, it remains to be seen whether Botman, Willock, Lascelles and Joelinton can be considered for the team/squad.

I think both managers keeping cards close to their chest and even putting out misinformation to keep the opposition guessing.

My best guess is that Willock will be available as a potential starter, I am also thinking Botman is more likeley to be available than not. After such a long absence, I can’t see Lascelles starting, so a place on the bench for him. Joelinton is the big unknown. A week and a half ago, rather than resting for the remainder of the season, the Brazil international travelled to Barcelona to get an injection in his knee. With the only interpretation of that, having been that clearly Newcastle United are hoping this could help give Joelinton a chance of playing again this season.

We have seen in the past, Eddie Howe surprising us with players starting who we’d been led to believe would have no chance of even sitting on the bench. Could Joelinton be the latest big surprise selection?

This was the Newcastle team v Chelsea:

Pope, Botman, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Gordon, Tonali, Bruno, Barnes, Isak, Murphy

In the absence of Hall and Trippier, Eddie Howe went with three defenders in Burn, Schar and Botman, with Livramento left wing-back and Murphy right wing-back. With that team and formation, Newcastle absolutely bossed it against Chelsea in the first half and should have been more than one goal ahead. When Maresca changed his team and formation for the second-half now down to ten men, they then were the better side despite a man down. Botman eventually having to go off and Newcastle reverting to a back four.

It obviously will largely be determined by who Eddie Howe has available but I think this is what he will go with today.

My predicted Newcastle team v Arsenal:

Pope, Botman, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Gordon, Tonali, Bruno, Barnes, Isak, Murphy

That would be an unchanged starting eleven and naturally depends on Botman’s availability.

If the Dutch defender isn’t available, who knows what Eddie Howe would do then. I think Jacob Murphy is fine as a wing-back but when becoming a right-back in the second-half last Sunday I thought he wasn’t great. Though there again not many Newcastle players did well in that second-half against Chelsea.

An intriguing afternoon awaits and the first part of that will be when we find out the two starting elevens not long after 3pm this afternoon.