Arsenal v Newcastle

Emirates stadium.
Kick off 17:30

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal pair Olivier Giroud and Tomas Rosicky have recovered from illness and are available to face Newcastle.

Andre Santos (stomach muscle) and Abou Diaby (thigh) are expected to return to training next week.

Newcastle's squad has been severely depleted by injuries to eight players, with Vurnon Anita (ankle) and Jonas Gutierrez (knee) the latest casualties.

Cheick Tiote returns from a one-match ban but Mike Williamson is suspended after accumulating five bookings.

MATCH PREVIEW

The form guide suggests an Arsenal victory. They've won their last three league games. Their much-criticised defence has conceded just five goals in six matches. They've lost only once in 10 meetings with Newcastle. They've had an extra four days to prepare for this game because their Boxing Day game was called off.

Newcastle are on a dismal run. Six points collected from nine games is relegation form. They've not won away in the top flight since May. Boxing Day's defeat at Old Trafford made it four away league defeats on the spin. The squad looks wearied.

But at this time of the year the form book can mean nothing. Fantastic, fickle festive season results are commonplace.

So much depends on the fitness of Newcastle's players after that exhausting defeat at Manchester United. But they certainly have enough quality, pace and power up front to worry a still brittle Arsenal back four.

Once they've strengthened in January, all speculation about the future of Demba Ba has ended and their injuries start to clear up, they'll ease towards a top-half finish and look forward to the Europa League knockout stages.

Arsenal fans are crying out for New Year signings. Even this current league run hasn't convinced the doubters. I don't think radical surgery is needed. An experienced goalkeeper to provide stiff competition, a decent centre back and a tough-tackling midfield ball winner would bolster the squad.

As for criticism of their goalscoring ability, they could have five players in double figures by the end of the season. Not many clubs can boast that.

Arsene Wenger isn't panicking. Neither is the board. Five of their next seven league games are at home. If they can win four of them they will be in a strong position to finish in the top four again.

But this game is crucial to get that run going.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

Arsenal needed a Thomas Vermaelen stoppage-time winner to complete a 2-1 comeback win in the corresponding fixture last January. The Gunners have lost just one of their last 10 matches against Newcastle (W4, D5, L1) The Magpies have won on four of 18 Premier League trips to Arsenal, latterly in November 2010 when Andy Carroll headed the winner. This is the third time the two clubs have met on this date: Arsenal won the previous encounters in 1984 and 2004.

Arsenal

Arsenal are on a three-match Premier League winning streak -their best form since March. They have won 18 league matches in 2012, their joint-lowest tally in a calendar year under Arsene Wenger. They also recorded 18 victories in 1997. If Arsenal lose against Newcastle, they will equal their most defeats in a calendar year under Wenger - 10, set in 2006 and 2010. The Gunners have kept seven clean sheets in 18 league games, a record bettered only by Chelsea (eight) and Stoke (nine). Theo Walcott has scored 11 goals in all competitions for the club this season, just two shy of equalling his most prolific campaign in 2010-11.

Newcastle

Alan Pardew's side have lost seven of their last nine league fixtures, collecting six points out of the last available 27. Newcastle are yet to record an away win this season (D4, L5). They have lost their last four fixtures on the road, conceding 10 goals in the process. The Magpies have scored in each of their last six league games, their best scoring run of the season.

A nice 3-0 victory would be perfect, but I will predict a 2-1 victory for us.
Szczesny
Sagna Mertesacker Vermaelen Gibbs
Arteta Cazorla Wilshere
Theo Giroud The Ox

Im kind of nervous about this game, feel our goodwill might just run out today, not to mention we've got 3 wins in a row, consiatency is not what we're known for right now...

Hope the boys go out there like rabbid wolves, get it done early and hold the ball for the rest of the game, not that we've been able to hold the ball well recently, you'd think we could do it since well, y'know, its what we're know for?

Here's to a boring 2-0 win, COYG!

Yer not really feeling this one today....and the fact we are playing catch up will be playing on my mind.....

Please make it 4 wins boys....and hopfully open Ba's eyes in the process...

3-0, Theo- TV - Santi.

Hope Per isn't badly injured.

Is it confirmed BFG is injured? I'm hoping it's just illness like Giroud had last week.

Not a bad start so far...

Bloody hell our back line shape still needs a lot of work doing....last 3 attacks Newcastle have had a simple step up would have caught them off side....

Great goal Theo!!!!

sweet sweet finish

Having trouble with ya zip Wenger....hahahah.....

The first game I have seen in a while from us where we have not back passed so much....

Looking good so far....

geez walcott what a wasted chance!

That was a shit ball by Theo then...

Statisticians Opta on Twitter: "31.6% - Of the 29 players to have scored 6+ Premier League goals in 2012-13, Theo Walcott has the best shot conversion rate (31.6%). Striker."

Fuck off!

We all knew that was coming :\

Bloody lucky deflection.....

Michael Foster wrote:Bloody lucky deflection.....

Please. Wake up and smell the coffee. Wilshere wasn't in the wall and he couldn't charge because it was a direct free-kick, so all he was doing was complicating Szczesny's life. That's the kind of incompetent defensive preparation that makes us pay. It's our own fault, so don't use the word lucky, that's bollocks.

How on Earth are we only level? We perform so far below our potential because we never do the basics well. Where is the pressure on the ball when Newcastle are deep within our half? Non-existent. We are such a perpetual disappointment. I can't believe we are giving Walcott £100,000 a week. Some good qualities, pace and finishing from certain positions but he can't even do the basic passing well. He has no self-awareness and sounds like a little David Brent when he talks.

One does not simply watch an Arsenal game without stressing... Fucking shit time to concede but Szcz, who has been very good, had no chance after the deflection. Hope we don't come out all timid for the 2nd half cause Newcastle seemed on the up after their goal there!

Well after a decent convincing first half we go in 1-1 after a lucky deflected goal just one of those things....think we have played fairly well..not gave much away nor have we seen huge chunks of a half where the away team has had countless shots...

Think we will push on and win this one...maybe by 1 goal...

need more energy, need more zip ..... i guess wenger is taking care of it

Michael, just one of those things shouldn't be good enough for a team that had a week to prepare for this match. Wilshere wouldn't have just been standing out there unhelpfully for a better more organised team.

John Foxall wrote:

Michael Foster wrote:Bloody lucky deflection.....

Please. Wake up and smell the coffee. Wilshere wasn't in the wall and he couldn't charge because it was a direct free-kick, so all he was doing was complicating Szczesny's life. That's the kind of incompetent defensive preparation that makes us pay. It's our own fault, so don't use the word lucky, that's bollocks.

How on Earth are we only level? We perform so far below our potential because we never do the basics well. Where is the pressure on the ball when Newcastle are deep within our half? Non-existent. We are such a perpetual disappointment. I can't believe we are giving Walcott £100,000 a week. Some good qualities, pace and finishing from certain positions but he can't even do the basic passing well. He has no self-awareness and sounds like a little David Brent when he talks.

Sorry.....what!?!?

Firstly I made no comment about him being in the wall I knew full well where he was and that everybody defends with more than just the wall anyhow....no end of teams do it....so the coffee is well and trully been smelled...and yes it was what I said it was a lucky deflection....that's also the risk you run when defending a free kick that ball can go anywhere off players...and luckily for them it went in..

John Foxall wrote:Michael, just one of those things shouldn't be good enough for a team that had a week to prepare for this match. Wilshere wouldn't have just been standing out there unhelpfully for a better more organised team.

Could have had a year to get ready for this game for all I see.....it is just one of those things the amount of deflected goals I have seen from free kicks is enough to say no end preparing will ever see you stop a deflection...