Arsenal vs Newcastle Football Score Match 3 January 2023
Two challengers for the crown aim to boost their hopes of Premier League title glory on Tuesday night, as Arsenal take on Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners ended 2022 with a pulsating 4-2 success over Brighton & Hove Albion, while Eddie Howe’s side lost a bit of ground on the top two after being held to a goalless draw by Leeds United. No team in Premier League history has lost the title after collecting 16 points from 43 games, and those in red and white are just starting to believe that little bit more by the week, as Mikel Arteta’s young guns continue to defy pre-season expectations.
Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard were all on target at the Amex fortress against Brighton, who responded in kind through Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson in a nail-biting finale, where Mitoma had another goal ruled out for a marginal offside. Arteta admitted that his side did little to stem the flow of Brighton’s eye-catching response, but a 14th top-flight win of the season – coupled with Manchester City dropping points against Everton – allowed the Gunners to enjoy their midnight celebrations seven points clear at the top of the table. With the champions not in action until Thursday’s battle with Chelsea, Arsenal – who are the only Premier League team with a 100% home record still intact – could remarkably extend their lead into double figures on Tuesday night, thereby silencing a few more doubters of their title credentials.
While an astounding 10-game winning run on home soil is nothing to be scoffed at, only Nottingham Forest have failed to score against Arsenal at the Emirates during that hot streak, so a record-equalling 29th clean sheet against Newcastle is far from a guarantee. The perennially-injured Takehiro Tomiyasu shook off his latest hamstring problem to come on as a second-half substitute at the Amex, leaving Arsenal with just two guaranteed absentees for this contest in Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson. Emile Smith Rowe has taken part in a few training sessions as he closes in on a return from groin surgery, but he will only make the bench at best here if he is passed fit, with Arteta likely to keep faith in his tried-and-tested starting XI despite the quick turnaround.
Nketiah continues to fill the boots of Jesus admirably and could record his 12th goal from his last 12 starts at the Emirates, despite only having 16 shots on target during that eyebrow-raising run. With regard to Newcastle, none of Howe’s injured quintet should be able to return on Tuesday, with Alexander Isak, Jonjo Shelvey, Matt Targett, Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett all unavailable for the top-of-the-table clash. The visiting manager could be tempted into a couple of changes either way, having given Chris Wood the nod from the off against Leeds, but Callum Wilson replaced the ex-Burnley man just after the hour mark and will expect a recall to the firing line. Former Arsenal man Joe Willock will hope to receive a warm welcome back to the Emirates, but he could also be sacrificed for the returning Allan Saint-Maximin, who caused Tomiyasu a world of problems in May’s win over the Gunners.
Arsenal’s first game of 2023 sees them host Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium. When the Premier League season got underway back in August, not many would have predicted Tuesday’s meeting would pit first against third in the table. But that is the situation with both sides exceeding expectations as the halfway point in the campaign fast approaches. The Gunners go into this particular fixture hoping to make it six successive wins in the top-flight of English football either side of the World Cup break after beating Brighton and Hove Albion 4-2 on New Year’s Eve – a result that saw them open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table as Manchester City and Newcastle were both held at home.
With Arsenal back in action just three days after the trip to the South Coast, squad rotation could come into play. Although, unless a new signing is confirmed before 12 noon Monday, Mikel Arteta is likely to have the same squad to choose from with Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson still sidelined due to injury. Nevertheless, the Gunners manager can name a strong line-up in an attempt to make a flying start to the new year and he could be in a position to welcome back one senior player as well as facing a team selection dilemma, especially with games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United later this month. Bukayo Saka was cautioned in the second half of the Gunners’ 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on New Year’s Eve. That was yellow card number four in the Premier League this season which means if he is booked against Newcastle he will miss the North London Derby against Spurs 12 days later.
Taking the fact that the winger has started every league game so far this campaign into consideration, it would be a major surprise if he doesn’t extend this record on Tuesday night. But with him being one game away from a ban, it does create somewhat of a dilemma for Arteta. Does he gamble and leave Saka out of the starting line-up? Or does the Spaniard just tackle the suspension risk head-on and opt to have a little word with the England international before kick-off, telling him to watch his step to avoid picking up yellow card number five?
