Arsenal are in
brilliant form heading into their Monday night fixture with Premier League
rivals Newcastle. The Gunners are undefeated in their last five league matches
Four of those five games ended in Arsenal wins as they
outscored their opponents 12-3. Manager Unai Emery watched his team defeat
Manchester United 2-0 at the Emirates prior to the international break. Now,
Emery will hope the Gunners can replicate that same performance.
Newcastle have
turned around their season over the last nine games. The Magpies were in the
relegation zone in early January. However, they are undefeated in seven of
their last nine games with five ending in victory. Manager Rafael Benitez has
stuck with his pragmatic tactics after Newcastle’s slow start. It has worked as
they are now seven points clear of the drop.
January signing
Miguel Almiron has entered the team and made it several times better. Almiron
is yet to score or assist a goal, but his presence on the pitch has opened up
opposing teams. He leads Newcastle in key pass per game with 1.8.
Arsenal were in
the running to sign Almiron but were put off by his £21 million price tag.
Despite missing out on the Paraguayan, the Gunners have done well with the
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette leading the team. Aubameyang
has tallied 17 goals while Lacazette has added 12. The former has scored in two
goals in his last three games, while the latter has three goals in his last
five matches.
Emery does have
injury issues. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey suffered a thigh injury during the
international break, but the Welshman is still believed to be ready to play on
Monday night. Defenders Sokratis and Sead Kolasinac both returned from injury
for their respective national teams during the break. They too are expected to feature.
Nacho Monreal will be assessed closer to game time. The Spanish defender was
left in London as Emery and the non-internationals jetted off to Dubai for
training.
Arsenal
have won five of their last six league games against Newcastle. The
last two matches between the clubs ended in over 2.5 goals scored. Arsenal have
outscored Newcastle 8-4 in their six most recent matches. Games between the
teams 
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