please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Arsenal face Newcastle United at the Emirates and both sides still have the chance and hope of finishing in the top 4. Arsenal won their last league game at Anfield thanks to a late goal from Robin Van Persie. That win saw them move three points clear of Chelsea who later lost against West Brom. Newcastle United go into the clash with Arsenal after a brutal Tyne-Wear derby. Shola Ameobi rescued Newcastle with a late goal and earned them a point against Sunderland. Newcastle are currently five points behind the Gunners and a win at the Emirates will really see them close in on Arsenal once again. Arsenal nearly made the impossible possible against AC Milan in the Champions League after finding three first goals and pushing AC Milan all the way. Van Persie failed to convert the chance that would have seen them go level with Milan. It’s another case of what if's for the Gunners as they go another season without a trophy. Both these sides played out a goalless draw when they met in the first game of the season. The game was a dull affair until Joey Barton decided to liven things up. Gervinho after being dragged up by Barton responded with a slap which Barton made the most of. In the end, Gervinho got a straight red in his first league game for Arsenal, while Barton escaped with only a yellow. Since then, Barton has moved on and left Newcastle United for QPR. Newcastle since they returned to the premier league have remained unbeaten against Arsenal in the league. Nobody will ever forget the 4-4 classic from last season. Newcastle got all three points in the last league meeting between the two sides at the Emirates. Andy Carrol got the only goal in the game and Newcastle kept the Gunners out with great tactical defending. They will looking to repeat that performance again. But, Arsenal are in great form in the league having won their last four games. Newcastle United have been one of the surprises of the season and since returning to the top flight they have not looked back. With shrewd transfers and great management from Alan Pardew they have remained in contention for a champions league spot. They currently sit above Liverpool who spent a lot more money and have a far bigger wage bill. Newcastle have shown what you can achieve with smart moves in the transfer window. Their scouts have done a fantastic job and Newcastle have unearthed a few gems. Cheik Tiote was brought in from FC Twente for a fee of £3.5 million. Now he is rated as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Tiote had an outstanding game against Arsenal at the Emirates last season and he limited the influence of attacking players like Fabregas and Wilshere. His power and defensive abilities will be needed this Monday because at home Arsenal have been very creative going forward. They have scored 15 goals in their last three home games. Yohan Cabaye was another great signing for Newcastle. He arrived from Lille this summer and has been a great influence in the middle of midfield with his creative play. But without doubt, the best transfer for Newcastle and maybe even the entire league last season was Demba Ba from West Ham. So far, he has scored 16 goals in the league. A powerful player who can bully most defenders but also lethal in front of goal. He showed his talent against Manchester United when he bullied the United defence. Arsenal will have to contain Demba Ba if they are to keep a clean sheet, but that is easier said than done. Not many people would have guessed that Newcastle United would have spent the highest transfer fee for a player in the winter transfer window but they did. And the money was spent on forward Papiss Cissé who arrived from SC Freiburg. Like Ba he is a powerful central forward. Him and Demba Ba as a partnership will keep the Arsenal defence on their toes. Newcastle's last visit to North London did not go to plan as they were on the wrong end of a trashing from Tottenham. Newcastle's high defensive line was exposed by the pace of Tottenham and if they play with the same tactic then it will get exposed again by Arsenal who have plenty of pace in their side. Newcaslte United have no doubt missed Steven Taylor in defence after he injured his Achilles tendon. Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini formed a very solid and reliable pairing and they gave Newcastle the rock solid base to play from. Mike Williamson has done a decent job at covering for Taylor but he is not really in the same class and Arsenal will look to Robin Van Persie to exploit any weakness. Van Persie has without a doubt been the best forward this season and has scored an amazing 32 goals in all competition. His lethal finishing can win any game for Arsenal it seems. Against Liverpool, Arsenal were on the back foot for most of the game but with Van Persie up front, Arsenal always have a chance. And he bagged the Gunners all three point with a sweet volley. Thomas Rosicky has finally started to show the form and performances that saw him getting rave reviews when he was playing for Borussia Dortmund. He has found a yard of pace and his passing has been crisp. He speeds the play up in an instant and that is helping Arsenal create and destroy teams at the Emirates. He has finally found his scoring touch and he has scored against Tottenham and AC Milan in the last few weeks. There also reports about him getting a contract extension at Arsenal. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain has once again displayed his talent for all the world to see. He started against AC Milan in midfield and he played like a seasoned veteran. He even showed the defensive side of his game by tracking the midfield runners of Milan. All this from an 18 year old. His pace and power will worry Newcastle. Arsenal have finally been able to form a defense that has all the players in their correct positions. Bacary Sagna is back and he is showing why he is rated as one of the best right backs in the premier league. Kieran Gibbs has finally managed to string a few games together and his display against Milan was very encouraging. Mikel Arteta should return after suffering a head injury against Liverpool. Arsenal have won four league games in a row and if they are to get a champions league place then they need to sustain this sort of form. But beating Newcastle United will not be an easy task for the Gunners so they can't afford to let their performance levels drop. Teams News: Arsene Wenger: Form Guide: please log in to view this image Three Key Match-ups: please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Overall Record vs Newcastle United: Played: 169 Wins: 65 Draws: 38 Losses: 66 For: 242 Against: 234 GD: 8 Last 6 Meetings: Newcastle United 0 - 0 Arsenal Newcastle United 4 - 4 Arsenal Arsenal 0 - 1 Newcastle United Newcastle United 0 - 2 Arsenal (League Cup) Newcastle United 1 - 3 Arsenal Arsenal 3 -0 Newcastle United please log in to view this image Mangers Views: Arsene Wenger on Van Persie: My Team: please log in to view this image Final Score: please log in to view this image
Team News is out: Lots of knocks & bruises but hopefully everyone should be fit. Gibbs might be short with a groin issue. Santos was back in training on Friday, he'll be short for Monday but may play if Gibbs is out. Ramsey & Arteta should be back Yossi might be, Theo will be. No word on Oxo so I assume he'll be fit.
So happy to hear Santos is back in Training - i was really enjoying the way he was playing before his injury - he was looking better defensively and very lively going forwards. When our team are fully fit we have a very good first team and some good choice back-ups. We just need a little more depth in the squad to deal with injuries.
Agree. When we had the good run in November, Santos going forward was one of the reasons we did not find it that hard to score goals. He is a great outlet with his attacking ability.
Hopefully Santos will be back. Our defence will need to be able to deal with their potent forward line.
I'd give Santos 15 minutes at the end of the game if we're winning, just to get him back up to speed. He was a weapon for us prior to his injury, it would be nice to have him back. Anyway, my team for the game; please log in to view this image
I'm going 3-0 to us, RvP will destroy Williamson, and i don't see Simpson matching up well with Gervinho.
Agree. Van Persie faced Thiago Silva in the last game now Williamson. Should be easy enough because Van Persie knows when a defender is not on his game or is just plain **** and he takes advantage of it. You only need to see how he dealt with Carragher. Also Newcastle will probably go with 2 upfront so we need to use the extra man midfield effectively.
err... http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/team-news-santos-diaby-and-benayoun yeah. If he's ready he may be on the bench which will give us options. However Gibbs has also looked good in the last few games and should start if available.
It will be an interesting match. Arsenal won last three games, but we should not be carried away, all three wins were different. They were with their back against the wall against Spuds, they actually failed against Liverpool, were outplayed but nicked it due to luck and Liverpool attacking shambles. They played with freedom against Milan, because with no expectations they had nothing to lose. Against Newcastle there is a burden of expectation on their shoulders. They need this win. It will be interesting to see how they react. Actually against Milan, methinks, it was not just physical tiredness - at the break they have realized it was doable, the burden was back. And they stopped. They did not play with that freedom in second half. That is what worries me a bit.
I don't know, Simpson usually plays a blinder in the big games. Williamson though . From Arsenal's point of view they should be worried about Gibbs vs Ben Arfa.
I'm not worried about Gibbs vs Ben Arfa - Gibbs was up against Robinho against Milan and had one of his best games sicne he has been playing for Arsenal. I'm confident our defence will look very solid - for the first time in a long time it looks like our defensive personel are fairly fit and up for it. RVP is gonna have a good game i recon, Thiago Silva is a different level to Newcastles first choice pairing let alone Williamson! Oh and for the guy who said we had our backs against the wall against spuds and only won by luck against Liverpool - i disagree completely. Spurs went ahead through a couple of moments of luck but throughout the entire game they got taught a lesson in football. We played with freedom, class and confidence. Liverpool on the other hand where poor going forwards and have only themselves to blame for losing, whilst Arsenal where tired and gave a labouring performance we still came off top due to incredibly finishing (taking the chances we had - which normaly we are guilty of messing up!).
Depends which HBA shows up, if he plays like he did last sunday then he would tear Gibbs a new one, no contest. But it's more likely he'll make the wrong decisions most of the time and be dragged off at half time, he's consistently inconsistent.
After the last 3 league results against Newcastle I really want us to smash them tonight! I'd settle with a 1-0 though...
