To all the Arsenal fans out there who are not feeling comfortable with their team travelling to Newcastle for a must-win: no need to worry! No matter how Magpies are playing, their owner, how much money they have spent in the January transfer window, or who their coach is, the Gunners are still their kryptonite. The race for the remaining Champions League spot is in full swing, and Tottenham did their part by winning against Burnley 1-0 so the ball is in the Arsenal’s court. And the Gunners are cool about it, when they look at the stats.Thursday: Arsenal lose 3-0 to SpursSunday: Spurs win to jump into fourthMonday: Arsenal travel to NewcastleThe pressure switches to Arsenal 😳 pic.twitter.com/HUEAVMFGwt— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 15, 2022 Going back to August 2011, United have lost 18 of their last 19 against Arsenal in all competitions. That one match was a rare win under Rafa Benitez in 2018 when Ayoze Perez (now in Leicester) and Matt Ritchie (now on the bench) scored for 2-1 win. And let’s go back even further, to the year 2005. Since then, both teams have played 31 games against each other, and Newcastle has only two wins. And even if we try to ‘blame’ it all on the previous coaches, Eddie Howe’s stats are also terrible. Since guiding Bournemouth to the Premier League in 2015, the 44-year-old has faced Arsenal 11 times: losing eight, drawing two and winning just once. And yet…both Manchester United hero Gary Neville and Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson predicted that this pressure of winning at all costs would lead to Arsenal’s failure at St. James Park, and they predicted a draw.Black Stars getting another Gunner: Nketiah ditches England for GhanaFor his part, Mikel Arteta can’t wait to play against Newcastle, at least he said so just after the Spurs defeat when he was still emotional after the result, which he felt was determined by referee Paul Tierney’s decisions (a red card to Holding, a penalty for Tottenham). He tried to downplay his post-game comments ahead of this match.“What I have tried to do in two and a half years here is not make any complaints. I have no complaint and I didn’t complain on Thursday. I just said I could not give a clear assessment on what I thought about the game, and that’s it. Whatever we do, we will try to defend the club in the right way, like we have always tried to do. The other night I tried to do it as well … I was being clear and honest. I think that is my job and my responsibility, when I talk on behalf of the club, to express how we feel. And if I cannot do it, I prefer not to” said the Spaniard. But, his sentence ‘If I say what I think I’m suspended six months’ was clearly aimed at the referee, and he now tries to move the focus ahead of the crucial match tonight.Joelinton on SJP & @worflags :💬 “We talk sometimes about this and think about what they’re going to do the next game. It’s beautiful to see – the flags and how they push us and give us extra motivation and energy.” #NUFC pic.twitter.com/UW0ZdK0vur— Andy Sixsmith (@SixsmithTV) May 12, 2022 Since both Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes are having issues, Arteta will have to decide who will start at the back on the game day. White didn’t start against the Spurs and is more likely to take his place than the Brazilian, who might just miss this one. Eddie Howe will likely have his stars Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson from the first minute after a long injury period, but both Jojo Shelvey and ex Gunner Joe Willock are injured and will miss this clash.The talented manager stays behind the cannon – Arteta till 2025For Arsenal, European football is guaranteed for next season, but Arteta is keen to point out they don’t want to compete in Europa League. “No, we want to be playing in the Champions League. We’ve come so far, it’s in our hands and we want to now capitalize on that, and the excitement and the opportunities there. We will really want to go for it”PREMIER LEAGUE – Round 37SundayTottenham – Burnley 1-0 (1-0)/Kane 45+8 pen/Aston Villa – Crystal Palace 1-1 (0-0)/Watkins 69 – Schlupp 81/Leeds – Brighton 1-1 (0-1)/Struijk 90+2 – Welbeck 21/Watford – Leicester 1-5 (1-2)/Pedro 6 – Maddison 18, Vardy 22, 70, Barnes 46, 86/Wolverhampton – Norwich 1-1 (0-1)/Nouri 55- Pukki 37/West Ham – Man.City 2-2 /Bowen 24, 45 – Grealish 49, Coufal (og) 69/Everton – Brentford 2-3 (2-1)/Calvert-Lewin 10, Richailson (p) 45-+ – Coleman (og) 37, Wissa 62, Henry 64/Monday22.00: (4.10) Newcastle (3.50) Arsenal (1.94)Tuesday21.45: (8.00) Southampton (5.10) Liverpool (1.42)***odds are subject to change
