Premier League: Arsenal vs Newcastle betting preview

We’re now into Premier League matchday 26 and on Saturday, there’s a tantalizing affair between third-place Arsenal and Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium in North London. The kick-off is scheduled for 3 PM ET. The Gunners are coming off a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Porto in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg mid-week but have been firing on all cylinders domestically. As for the Magpies, they’re unbeaten in five games across all competitions but remain out of the European mix for the time being, so three points would be ideal here. Below, we’ll preview the clash and shed light on any injury concerns for both sides.

Arsenal

The Gunners are in the midst of a very impressive campaign overall. In the Premier League, they’re just five points behind first-place Liverpool, who already played on Wednesday. That means with a victory on home soil this weekend, Arsenal can move within two points of the Reds. In league action, Mikel Arteta’s men have won five matches in a row, even beating the Merseysiders during that span.

Across the last two outings, the Gunners have scored 11 goals and kept back-to-back clean sheets against West Ham and Burnley, with Bukayo Saka netting a brace in each match. However, the attack was nowhere to be found in Portugal on Wednesday in a gut-wrenching loss to Porto where the hosts scored a winner at the death. Arsenal failed to register a single shot on target despite controlling 65% of the ball. But, they will have the opportunity to redeem themselves next month in the return tie.

BetVictor is giving the North Londoners steep -303 odds to beat Newcastle, but they haven’t enjoyed a ton of success against them in recent memory. In fact, the Gunners only have one victory in their last four versus the Magpies. But, keep in mind that Arsenal is 9-2-1 on home turf this term. They rarely drop points at the Emirates.

Newcastle

The Magpies shocked everyone last season when they qualified for the Champions League by finishing in the top four. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been as impressive as a campaign this time around. Newcastle is struggling to find consistency, sitting in eighth spot and seven points behind Manchester United in sixth for that final spot in a European competition. They also bowed out in the UCL knockout stages in a tough group with PSG, Dortmund, and AC Milan.

Injuries have undoubtedly played a part in their disappointing season, with both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson only making 17 and 16 EPL appearances each, respectively. That’s a major blow considering the two are Eddie Howe’s most reliable finishers, bagging 17 goals combined in EPL action. When it comes to recent form, the Magpies settled for a 2-2 draw last weekend with Bournemouth as Matt Ritchie scored in the dying minutes of injury time to salvage a point.

Before that, it was a win over Nottingham Forest, a draw with Luton Town, and wins over Aston Villa and Fulham in the League Cup. Newcastle is starting to play better and they will be in a lot better shape when their finishers are back in the mix. If you’re looking into doing some soccer betting  on this match, the Magpies are a massive underdog and could offer huge value if a victory is secured. 

Injury news

Arsenal will welcome back Fabio Vieira for the first time in three months, but the likes of Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus, and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain sidelined due to injury. For the Magpies, Wilson is out long-term with a pectoral issue while Isak may return here. Joelinton, Matt Targett, and Sandro Tonali, among a couple of others, are unavailable.