Arsenal vs Newcastle United

The Premier League top-four contenders Arsenal play host to basement boys Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium.

Though an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool knocked Arsenal down from an inspiring eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League (W6, D2), a lack of European football this term has handed head coach Mikel Arteta a week to rally his troops. Newcastle’s arrival at the Emirates looks like a handsome opportunity for the ‘Gunners’ to get back to winning ways after winning 16 of their last 17 top-flight H2Hs (L1). What’s more, since falling to a narrow 1-0 loss in September 2010, the Londoners have won their subsequent nine Premier League home meetings with Newcastle, keeping a clean sheet in the last five in a row. Another successful weekend must be looming in the forefront of the hosts’ minds, as they’ve never lost a Premier League home match against a side starting the day bottom of the table (W15, D6).

On the other hand, Newcastle head into proceedings as the only side yet to taste victory in the Premier League this season (D6, L6), facing the risk of going winless in 13 straight top-flight games for the first time since March 2008. Wealthy Saudi owners will demand a European finish sooner or later. But Newcastle’s solitary task this term is to become the second team in a 38-game Premier League season to avoid relegation following a 12-game winless start. After marking his managerial debut at St James’ Park with a 3-3 draw with the league newcomers Brentford, new boss Eddie Howe will be keen to improve his side’s glaring defensive issues, with the ‘Magpies’ conceding a league-high 27 Premier League goals this season. Indeed, the Tyneside outfit will take the field as the only side in the Premier League yet to register a single shutout this term.