The last time Arsenal faced Newcastle United at the Emirates their line-ups looked rather different…
In some cases the Premier League fixture list throws up two of the same clashes very close together, at the end of one season and the begining of another. Not in this case.
The last time Newcastle traveled to the Emirates was November 2010, and the winning goal was scored by… Andy Carroll.
Two other instigators in the goal, Joey Barton and Lukas Fabianski, the Arsenal goalkeeper, have either left, or are not expected to line up.
Here are the starting line-ups from the November 2010 clash, with players no longer at the clubs, or who are certain not to start tonight highlighted in bold, and those who will spend their time on the bench or in the stands in Italics.
Arsenal- Fabianski, Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy, Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott, Song, Wilshere, Chamakh. Used subs: Arshavin, Bendtner, van Persie.
Newcastle- Krul, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Williamson, Simpson, Nolan, Barton, Gutierrez, Tiote, Carroll, Ameobi. Used subs: Ranger.
It goes to show how much the two clubs have changed over the past 15 months, Arsenal have sold the trio of Clichy, Fabregas and Nasri, while Arshavin and Bendtner were out on loan.
Their team that day was also weaker than the one they hope to put out this weekend, with Chamakh starting ahead of Robin van Persie, Fabianski in goal, Squillaci in defence and Laurent Koscielny who was sent off, still finding his feet in English football, although the one plus was they had Jack Wilshere available.
Newcastle have undergone an even bigger transformation, selling stars Jose Enrique and Andy Carroll, and letting Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan go on the cheap. The pair played a key role that day, winning the midfield battle along with Cheik Tiote. The other key difference that day of course was Newcastle’s manager was not Alan Pardew, but Chris Hughton.
Tonight Newcastle will be looking for their first league win since a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the start of February, while their last two trips to the capital have seen them concede 10 goals, in 5-2 losses to Fulham and 5-0 to Spurs.
Arsenal, who have already put five past Chelsea and Spurs this season will fancy their chances, especially after their scintillating win over Milan in midweek, but you wonder how much that will have taken out of them.
Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up injuries in that clash, with Wenger indicating both will be available, while Arteta, Benayoun and Ramsey are also set to return. A Tuesday to Monday wait and recovery time has been generous to them, in comparison to Manchester City’s Thursday to Sunday turnaround.
Newcastle have of course had a couple of extra few days rest, and manager Pardew has to decide whether to start both Ba and Cisse up front, or play 4-5-1 with Ben Arfa linking the midfield and attack. It may be a more prudent option given the way the 4-4-2 formation failed to work against Spurs.
The match could have a huge bearing on both side’s seasons, with Arsenal five points ahead of Newcastle, who can close the gap to two with a win and re-open the chase for fourth spot. Arsenal meanwhile will have their sights focused on catching third-placed Spurs, and cannot afford a defeat.
We think this one is set up for an Arsenal victory, the side are in great form and Newcastle have looked poor defensively of late. We certainly can’t see a repeat of 2010 with Newcastle winning 1-0.
What are your predictions for tonight’s clash?
image: © rich_w
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