Arsenal v Newcastle United Team News and Prediction – Will the Gunners pile more pressure on Alan Pardew?
Manger quotes, player quotes, team news and prediction ahead of the Premier league clash between Arsenal and Newcastle United. Arsenal v Newcastle United team news.
What the managers are saying:
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager [on confidence in the team] – “Did we have a bad period because we had to play the semi-final? I don’t think so, I just think we knew coming out of a bad period and losing the semi-final would have been terrible for us. That is why on the day there was a bit more at stake.”
Alan Pardew, Newcastle Manager – “We need a result, of course we do. Every game in the Premier League is very important, whether you are the Newcastle manager or the Arsenal manager. What I do know is that for us, our recent run has not been good enough for our fans – they have made that very, very clear – and it certainly hasn’t been good enough for me and my staff, and I include the players in that. They are desperate to get a win and I think a little bit of desperation last week [in a last-gasp 2-1 defeat by Swansea] cost us the game because what we did towards the end of the game was a sign of a team that hasn’t won for a while. We just need to get it all right and, if we can get it all right, we can get a result, even at Arsenal.”
What the players are saying:
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey – “We are hungrier than ever to get this, the Champions League, to get into that again – this is where we want to be. That is where the players want to play and test themselves and that is no different this season, to finish the job off and get back in for next season”
Newcastle forward Loic Remy – “We can cause the big clubs some difficulties and maybe make things tougher for the teams who are fighting as well. For me, that means the end of the season will be exciting. People have said we are finished for the season but I don’t see that. The players are training well and working well. It maybe hasn’t been as good a season as we wanted it to be. But we will keep giving everything until the final whistle of the final game of the season.”
Arsenal v Newcastle Team News:
Arsenal will be without Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Serge Gnabry and Theo Walcott however Thomas Vermaelen is expected to return from a hamstring problem. Abou Diaby has resumed training but won’t be risked
Newcastle meanwhile will be without injured pair Papiss Cisse (knee) and Luuk de Jong (ankle) however Moussa Sissoko could return after he missed the last three games with a hamstring injury.
Mathieu Debuchy and Loic Remy are expected to start after appearing as substitutes in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea while Hatem Ben Arfa is struggling with a dead leg.
Form:
Arsenal will head into the game on the back of successive wins over West Ham and Hull. Those 6 points coupled with two defeats in three games for Everton has seen the Gunners reclaim fourth place. Prior to these wins, the Gunners had only won one out of five. The club are unbeaten at home since the opening day of the season however they have drawn in three of their last five at the Emirates.
Newcastle meanwhile have not won away since a success over Hull at the start of March. Since then they have lost to Fulham, Southampton and Stoke, failing to find the net on each occasion. Overall Alan Pardew’s men have won just one of their last seven games.
With Arsenal back on form and Newcastle woefully out of form the signs point to a Gunners win
