Arsenal vs Newcastle United. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Arsenal FC will host Newcastle United FC in the English Premier League 26th round match at the Emirates Stadium. The fixture will take place on Sunday, February 25, beginning at 01:30 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Arsenal News & Current Form: 

Last season, Arsenal were close to winning the title, and in the current campaign, the capital’s grandee is fighting for the championship again. Mikel Arteta’s side currently sit 3rd in the Premier League with 1 game in hand, 5 points behind leaders Liverpool FC. 

The Londoners were on a losing streak in December, but after the winter break, the team has looked magical lately. In 2024, the Gunners returned to their former form, winning all five of their league games by a combined score of 21-2. Those games were against Crystal Palace FC (5:0), Nottingham Forest FC (1:2), Liverpool (3:1), West Ham United FC (6:0) and Burnley FC last weekend (5:0). The team has the most reliable defense in the league (22 goals conceded), and they have also scored 58 times – the second highest in the league.

This week, Arsenal suffered a major disappointment – a fiasco in the first meeting of the 1/8th finals of the UEFA Champions League against FC Porto (1:0). The opponent countered with a well-organized defense in the midfield and in their own half of the field. Instead of keeping control of the ball, the English gave the initiative to the Dragons at the end of the duel and as a result missed a powerful shot into the nine by Wenderson Galeno. It is worth noting that the Londoners failed to register a single shot on goal throughout the match. 

On the one hand, a 0:1 defeat in the first match is not critical, even if the goal was scored in the second half. After all, how many of us have seen similar two-match series, where the winner of the first leg was simply thrashed in the return leg. Especially in 2010, Porto also started their playoff run with a 1:0 victory, but in the return match they were beaten by Arsenal by five goals.

Gaffer of Arsenal FC – Mikel Arteta

In his post-match interview, Mikel Arteta promised to work on his mistakes, learn lessons and prepare for the return game as best as possible. He emphasized that his team lacked threat and aggression in the final third of the pitch. This will surely be emphasized in the upcoming match.

Arsenal are still missing central defender Jurrien Timber, who was injured back in August. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, center-back Takehiro Tomiyasu and full-back Thomas Partey are also questionable, while Portuguese Fabio Vieira, meanwhile, returned to action this week. Jakub Kiwior didn’t look very confident against Porto, so he would have been on the bench, but the coaching team has no alternative in this situation. After an exhausting UCL match, Arteta will surely freshen up the squad, and either Jorginho or Emile Smith-Rowe are candidates to start. 

Newcastle United News & Current Form: 

After failing to live up to the expectations of the fans this season, Newcastle have lost momentum compared to last year’s campaign. Occupying only eighth place in the Premier League, the Magpies are unlikely to get a ticket to the European Cup (10 points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur FC), although additional slots may become available depending on how the results of the two domestic cups are determined. 

After a disastrous December stretch, the White and Black have regained some good form, as evidenced by their current streak of four rounds without defeat (two wins and two draws). 

If Arsenal have recently distinguished themselves with a terrific game in the attacking line, Eddie Howe can not eliminate the huge problems of the team in defense. The Magpies concede a lot of goals from opponents of any level, the reason for the failures in defense is hidden in the excessive preoccupation with the attack. 

For example, on the 3rd of February, Newcastle took on Luton Town FC at their home field, which is currently in the relegation zone. The confrontation with such a weak opponent ended in a draw (4:4). By xG the opponent was a little closer to success – 2.67-2.37. In the following the opponent suffered 3 defeats, each time scoring only one goal.

In a similar vein, events developed in the previous round, when AFC Bournemouth came to St. James Park (2:2). The match of the 25th round of the championship of England against the Cherries turned out to be very difficult for Eddie Howe’s team. In the course of the meeting the opponents twice went ahead, but the hosts both times found the strength to win back, even if it had to do it already in the penalty time, as in the case of the saving goal by Matt Ritchie. 

Earlier there was a bright victory over Nottingham Forest away (3:2).

Next Tuesday, Newcastle will travel to Blackburn Rovers FC for a meeting in the 1/8 finals of the Emirates FA Cup. 

Matt Richie scored a decisive goal in the fixture against AFC Bournemouth and earned a draw for his team

Given the problems in defense, a visit to the Emirates does not bode well for Newcastle, and moreover, the Magpies’ injury list looks impressive. In the upcoming meeting will definitely not participate such important performers as Joelinton, Nick Pope, Callum Wilson, support Elliot Anderson and central defender Matt Targett are recovering in the infirmary, and Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali is disqualified. 

In addition, Swedish striker Alexander Isak and midfielder Joe Willock are experiencing some health problems and their participation in the upcoming Emirates visit is in doubt. Anthony Gordon (8 goals and 5 assists) will surely appear on the attacking edge on Saturday, and will be supported on the wing by winger Harvey Barnes (2 goals in 9 games). 

Arsenal form guide: W-W-W-W-W-L

Newcastle United form guide: L-W-W-D-W-D

Arsenal vs Newcastle United Head-To-Head Record:

• May 16, 2022: Newcastle United 2 – 0 Arsenal (Premier League);
• January 3, 2023: Arsenal 0 – 0 Newcastle United (Premier League);
• May 7, 2023: Newcastle United 0 – 2 Arsenal (Premier League);
• November 4, 2023: Newcastle United 1 – 0 Arsenal (Premier League).

Arsenal vs Newcastle United Predicted XI:

Arsenal’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Rice, Jorginho; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.

Newcastle United’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Miley; Almiron, Gordon, Barnes.

Statistical preview of the match Arsenal vs Newcastle United:

• Arsenal’s First XI average age is 25.5 years, Newcastle’s First XI average age is 27.9 years.
• The total value of Arsenal’s squad is 1.11 bln euros, while the total of Newcastle comes up to 638 mln euros.
• Paul Tierney has been appointed as the center referee. The referee has already served 18 games this season, showing an average of 3 Yellow Cards and also whistles 21 fouls per game. 
• Statistics show that the vis-a-vis likes corner kicks. Arsenal serve an average of 7.05 corners per game, and Newcastle – 5.
• Arsenal get an average of 1.6 yellow cards per game, and Newcastle receive 2.05. 
• In the last 8 home rounds the Gunners gained 7 victories with 1 defeat.
• Including the FA Cup, the Magpies have won their last 4 away matches.
• Arsenal kept their gates intact in the last eight home matches against Newcastle United. 
• According to the xG rating, Arsenal are averaging 2.08 expected goals per game, while Newcastle are averaging 2.01.
• Arsenal have possession of the ball on average 59.63% of the time per game, while Newcastle have 54.21%.
• The hosts are offside on average 2 times per game, while the visitors are offside 1.6 times.
• Arsenal shoot on average 17.15 times per game, while Newcastle United score 14.25.
• Arsenal hit the target an average of 5.8 times per game, while Newcastle hit 5.4. 

What has been said before the match:

Gaffer of Arsenal FC Mikel Arteta about losing to Porto and upcoming meeting with Newcastle:

“We discussed it and we know the things that we did very well and the things that we have to improve. It tells you again about the small margins in the Champions League. However you lose it at the last second and it’s something else. That’s clear but we cannot lose sight of where we are, what we are doing and the importance of the match tomorrow and the full energy and focus is there.”

“We will see tomorrow, Newcastle as well have changed a little bit and might have some players who are not available, the same for us. So let’s see, every game is very different and the approach sometimes away and home can change.”

“They are a really good team. They are very well coached, they have fantastic players. They have great spirit within the team and they are difficult to beat for us and for many, many opponents.”

“Obviously we have missed some big players and we still are but you have to adapt to that. Hopefully we want them back, we need them back as quickly as possible and we know the impact those players are going to have when we have the full squad back.”

Eddie Howe,  coach of Newcastle United, about team’s  confidence returning after a streak of setbacks:

“We will need to replicate close to our best performance in order to get something from the game. We’ve had some really good games against Arsenal in recent seasons – very tight affairs.”

“Last season at the Emirates was a really battling performance from us. Defensively, we’re going to need to improve from where we have been in recent weeks. That’s the challenge for us.”

“Arsenal this season have been very, very good in every aspect of the game – statistically one of the best teams in the league, and rightly where they are in the table. It will be a challenge for us.”

“We are desperate to try and close the gap on the teams above us, so we’ve got a lot to be motivated for. Hopefully, the confidence is returning. We have a big challenge against Arsenal. We want to win – we will do everything in our power to win.”

Arsenal vs Newcastle United Prediction:

Arsenal put themselves back in the title race with five wins in a row, which in itself speaks volumes about the fine form of the Londoners. The performance was extremely impressive and spectacular, with 21 goals scored and two conceded. Porto blew another reality-check cold shower to the blinded-by-success Gunners this week (1:0), but such defeats only serve to favor Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff, the work on mistakes the Red and Whites are doing is outstanding. Now Rice and Co. can concentrate on the national championship, where it is unacceptable to lose points. 

Newcastle is also gradually getting out of the crisis having produced 3 wins, a draw and a defeat at the latest stretch of the English Premier League. All five matches saw at least 3 goals scored. 

Arsenal have prevailed in 11 of the last 12 head-to-head meetings against the Magpies at the Emirates, so we expect the hosts to get at least 1 point. At the same time, the confrontation between these two teams has all chances to be rich in goals, we expect at least 2 goals scored. 

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Arsenal will not lose and the total of the match will be more than 1.5 – Yes.