While Arsenal's Premier League title hopes cannot be mathematically ended this weekend, the Gunners could suffer the final nail in the coffin to their title hopes unless they deliver their A-game this Sunday. The North London giants visit Newcastle in Matchweek 35 and will look to avoid a repeat of what happened at St. James' Park at a similar stage last season.
Speaking of mathematically, Newcastle will need only three more wins at most to secure their spot in the UEFA Champions League next season following a remarkable campaign from the English side.
This is a far cry from last season when the Magpies were battling relegation up until the arrival of Eddie Howe in November 2021. While the Saudi takeover has helped, the club have been measured in the transfer window and are receiving returns on nearly all their investments, namely Bruno Guimarães and Alexander Isak.
Newcastle are currently third in the table, and with Manchester United's last-gasp defeat away to Brighton, Howe's men have played as many games as the fourth-placed Red Devils and now boast a two-point advantage.
As a result, Isak and Co. are the favorites to join Manchester City and Arsenal as England's representatives in the UEFA Champions League in 2023/24. The hosts should fancy their odds of securing a spot in Europe thanks to their form, with the Magpies winning all but two of their last 10 games.
While those two slip-ups were both defeats, only one was truly disappointing and that was their 3-0 teardown away to Aston Villa. The other loss came at the hands of Manchester City and Guardiola's unstoppable squad, with Newcastle losing 2-0.
That defeat came at the Etihad Stadium, meaning Howe's men have still lost only one game at home all season, with that coming against Liverpool. Will they maintain this run or suffer another defeat when Arsenal pay them a visit?
The Gunners enter this clash on the back of a much-needed victory, with Arteta's men ending their four-game winless streak that could all but cost them the title. After throwing away an early 2-0 lead at Anfield in early April, the North London giants went on to draw 2-2 against Liverpool, sparking a run of undesirable results.
The exact same thing occurred a few days later at West Ham, with Arsenal squandering another 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 and drop another two points. After that came the showdown with bottom-of-the-table Southampton and while these two teams entered this clash on opposite ends of the table, Saka and Co. nearly lost to the relegation battlers, drawing 3-3.
And then came the gut-wrenching defeat at the Etihad Stadium, with Manchester City not only thrashing Arteta's men 4-1 but also dominating them all over the pitch. In fact, the then-leaders were fortunate not to have lost by a wider margin, with Aaron Ramsdale pulling off a number of crucial saves against the likes of Haaland and De Bruyne.
That four-game winless run saw Arsenal's eight-point lead, albeit having played two games extra, turn into a four-point deficit. Mikel's crew are now second in the table and after watching the Cityzens' 2-1 victory over Leeds, the record FA Cup winners cannot afford anything less than three points at St. James' Park.
Sadly, everyone remembers what happened the last time when the Gunners headed to Newcastle's famous ground needing a result. Something similar occurred last season, with the London outfit visiting Howe's men following their 3-0 defeat away to bitter rivals Tottenham.
The Gunners needed to beat the Magpies in order to keep their top-four hopes alive but lost 2-0 and eventually missed out on UEFA Champions League football to their North London rivals. Saka and Co. must learn from that mistake and set things right this time around.
Fortunately, the visitors head into this tie on the back of a confidence-boosting triumph, beating Chelsea 3-1 during the midweek. While the Blues are nowhere near comparable to Newcastle this season, that result was desperately needed to stop Arsenal's freefall.
The last time Arteta's men locked horns with Newcastle, it ended in a goalless draw, with the Emirates Stadium crowd feeling hard done by on a number of penalty shouts. Nonetheless, the Premier League giants struggled to break down Sunday's opponent and will need to deliver a better performance this time around.
Team news
Newcastle: Jamaal Lascelles recently picked up a calf injury and will miss the rest of the season, joining Emil Krafth as a long-term absentee. Sean Longstaff and Allan Saint-Maximin are doubts for this game and could sit this one out. Elsewhere, it will be interesting to see whether Howe will go with one or both of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, while Anthony Gordan will be hoping for a start.
Arsenal: William Saliba will not feature in this game and is unlikely to play again this season after suffering a concerning back injury back in March. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny are the other confirmed absentees while Gabriel Magalhães is a doubt after limping off the pitch in the 3-1 win over Chelsea. Leandro Trossard, who returned to the lineup in the victory over Chelsea, will be hoping for another start.
Key stats
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Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight encounters with Newcastle in the Premier League.
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However, the Gunners have drawn blanks in their last two English top-flight encounters with the Magpies.
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Eddie Howe's men are unbeaten in 25 of their last 28 Premier League games.
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The Gunners have failed to win a Premier League game away from home against the other current top-five teams.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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