Arsenal vs Newcastle prediction & Premier League tips
Arsenal’s attack to overpower Newcastle
While Arsenal drew a blank against Porto on Wednesday, their scoring form in the Premier League has been extremely impressive of late.
Indeed, the Gunners have netted no fewer than 11 goals in their last two games and 21 in their last five. Arteta’s attack is peaking at the right time and has been the thing that has pushed Arsenal back into the thick of the title race.
Last season, Newcastle boasted one of the best defensive records in the Premier League, but it’s been a different story in recent weeks as the Magpies have conceded eight times in their last three games.
Newcastle haven’t kept a clean sheet in the league since a 3-0 win over Fulham in mid-December, so there’s reason to believe Arsenal’s in-form attack will do some serious damage on Saturday.
Arteta might have been tempted to rotate his frontline before Wednesday’s defeat to Porto, but Arsenal now need a response. They also can’t afford to let up in the title race with Liverpool and Manchester City applying real pressure after wins in midweek for the pair.
Betting apps are bullish on the chances of Arsenal scoring over 1.5 goals (4/11), so we've gone one step further and backed them to net over 2.5 goals.
Saka’s scoring streak to continue
Bukayo Saka can’t stop scoring in the Premier League at the moment. Indeed, the Arsenal winger has netted six times in his last four league matches.
The run will come to an end at some point, but Newcastle United will present Saka with opportunities to run at Dan Burn, who can be vulnerable against opponents with pace. That could be a problem for the visitors and something to target for the hosts.
Arsenal’s game plan is designed to feed the ball to Gabriel Martinelli and Saka in the wide areas as frequently as possible and this could expose Newcastle’s weakness in these areas.
On top of this, Saka has replaced Martin Odegaard as the Gunners' chief penalty taker, scoring from the spot in recent wins over West Ham and Burnley.
Gambling sites have priced Leandro Trossard at 7/4 to score at anytime with Martinelli at 23/10, but Saka has emerged as Arsenal’s biggest attacking threat in recent weeks. He will have opportunities to continue his scoring streak on Saturday.
Gunners to come good in the second half
There has been a change in Arsenal’s mentality this season with the Gunners seemingly stronger in terms of their mindset.
Last season, the Gunners allowed the pressure of the title race to get to them as they were eventually caught by Manchester City at the top of the table. This season, they have shown greater resolve to stay in the fight.
This is highlighted by the fact Arsenal have won the second half in each of their last five Premier League matches. Arteta’s team are finishing strong when they need to.
What’s more, Newcastle have kept a second half clean sheet in just one of their last seven league matches. The Magpies’ recent track record suggests they might struggle to keep Arsenal at arm’s length after half time.
Betting sites have priced the second half to be the highest scoring half at 21/20, but backing Arsenal to simply win the second period is our preference.
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Graham Ruthven is a football writer and podcaster who has worked for the Guardian, New York Times, Eurosport, Optus Sport and many others. He boasts an extensive knowledge of football around the world and has been a betting tipster for a number of years.
