Author: cimi

?Arsenal play host to Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium as they complete this weekend’s billing of Premier League football on Monday night.

Both sides will enter this game in confident mood on the back of recent good form, with Arsenal looking to cement their spot in the top four, and Newcastle hoping to continue their pull away from the relegation battle.

Following just one defeat in their last six, the Magpies will provide a stern test to the Gunners, who will be looking for their tenth straight home league victory in what would be their best run in over 20 years.

Arsenal are now in the driving seat in the race for the top four as they sit two clear of Manchester United in fifth place. Newcastle on the other hand have eased fears of relegation and Rafa Benitez’s men now look more like troubling the top half of the table, credited partly to the January acquisition of Miguel Almiron.

Check out 90min’s preview of the encounter below:

Where to Watch

Team News?

Arsenal will have to wait and see on the fitness of midfielder Granit Xhaka, who injured his thigh whilst on international duty last week. ?The Switzerland man had to be substituted during his side’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Denmark.

The ?Gunners will also be without the services of tough tackling midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is serving the second of his three match ban. The Uruguayan was shown a straight red card for a nasty challenge late on in the 1-1 draw away to Spurs at the beginning of March.

There were also concerns over the fitness of ?Aaron Ramsey after his return from international action, but the Welshman is expected to be fit and available for selection on Monday night.

?Newcastle will be without defender Fabian Schar, as he serves the second of his two match ban, which he received for totting up ten yellow cards in the season. However, the Switzerland man would probably have missed out anyway after suffering a concussion on international duty.

Skipper Jamal Lascelles missed the Magpies’ last game away to Bournemouth with a knee injury, though he has now recovered and is expected to return to the starting line up.

Predicted Lineups

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Head-to-Head Record

?Arsenal have won 11 of the last 14 meetings between the two sides, drawing just two. If the Magpies are to take anything away from north London, they will need to improve their scoring record at the Emirates, with just one goal in their last four visits – that coming in a 4-1 defeat. 

Only once in the last 15 years have Newcastle managed to score more than one goal away at Arsenal and that was in their 7-3 defeat in 2012. 

When the two sides met earlier this season, ?Mesut Ozil marked his return to the Arsenal team by leading his side into a two goal lead. Ciaran Clark’s 90th minute reply proved just to be a consolation, as the Gunners came out 2-1 winners.

In the entire history of this fixture, the two sides are fairly evenly matched with Arsenal securing 76 wins, whilst Newcastle have 67. The north east side have certainly had the worst of it in recent times though, having picked up only four wins in this tie since the turn of the millennium.

Recent Form

Both Arsenal and Newcastle have been a bit Jekyll and Hyde this season, as you never seem to know which side is going to turn up. However, both teams have tended to produce their best performances at home, as is proven by their recent records.

Despite the Gunners winning four of their last six?, only one of these victories came away from home in a narrow 2-1 victory at Huddersfield.

Likewise, the Magpies come into this game on the back of an excellent recent run, having picked up 11 points from their last six games. True to form though, only two of these points were picked up on the road.

Aside from the unstoppable top two in Liverpool and Man City, the Gunners have the best home record in the league. They have lost just one game at the Emirates in the ?Premier League this season, which came on the opening day to title-holders City.

Despite only mustering two away wins this season, Newcastle have proven themselves to be difficult to beat on the road. Picking up seven draws away from home this season, their away record in the league comes out at a respectable mid-table.

Here is how the two sides have faired in their last five league fixtures:

Prediction

Arsenal are out of the top four places before this game has kicked off, thanks to Manchester United managing to overcome Watford at home. The Gunners will be all the more motivated to return to the Champions League places and will be looking to put Newcastle to the sword.

However, Newcastle seem to have turned a corner since the close of the January transfer window and have managed to overcome their major shortcoming from the first half of the season – their ability to score goals. The dynamism of their front three has caused problems for teams of late and they could cause trouble for an occasionally fragile Arsenal defence. 

The question is whether it will be enough to overcome Arsenal’s own attacking threat with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang making a formidable strike partnership.

Their form at the Emirates this season has been sublime and, given the extra drive they will have due to the tight race for the top four, ?Arsenal should have enough to beat the Magpies.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Newcastle

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?Bournemouth and England striker Callum Wilson will be a wanted man come the end of the season as transfer talk surrounding the forward has seen him linked him with the likes of Chelsea and now Everton. 

Having scored 11 goals and contributed six assists in the Premier League this season, the England international has been labelled with a £40m price tag. However, this could soon rise with more and more clubs rumoured to be interested in Wilson – especially as he continues to find the back of the net for club and country.

Perhaps what has been most impressive about the former Coventry striker is the way he has come back from a knee operation which kept him out of action two months. Not only has he hit the ground running since returning from injury but his partnership with teammate Josh King has made them one of the most lethal duos in the Premier League. 

It is no wonder that it has been reported by The Sun that struggling Everton manager Marco Silva is joining the hunt to secure the 27-year-old’s signature before the beginning of next season. 

However, whether Everton can fight off Chelsea in the transfer market looks unlikely. To make matters worse for the Toffees, Leicester City and West Ham have also been said to have an interest in Wilson. As a result of the number of clubs interested, numerous bids could see the price skyrocket above £40m which almost certainly will force ?Bournemouth’s hand in letting Wilson leave.

For now, the Everton boss will have to make do with the forwards he has as they look to push for a top seven finish in the league. England youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin has recently secured his place in the starting lineup whilst Brazilian winger Richarlison has enjoyed a solid season with the Toffees. 

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The London Stadium was stunned into silence as Everton ran out comfortable 2-0 winners over an underwhelming West Ham on Saturday afternoon.

It took just four minutes for the Toffees to get their noses in front courtesy of the head of Kurt Zouma, and West Ham struggled in their response to going behind. Everton were by far the better team and doubled their lead just after the half hour mark courtesy of Bernard’s second goal for the club.

It was a disastrous first half for the home side and Manuel Pellegrini was forced into making a double change coming out for the second half, although it didn’t make much of a difference. ?Everton were able to see the second half out with ease and they strolled to a very comfortable 2-0 win.

Here’s a breakdown of the evening’s events: 

WEST HAM

Key Talking Point

Right from the first whilst ?West Ham were outplayed by the visitors. After going behind after just four minutes they didn’t respond well at all with Declan Rice and Pedro Obiang swarmed in midfield.

It looked as though every time Everton went forward they would threaten the West Ham goal, and if anything the home side were lucky to go into half time only two goals down.

They marginally improved in the second half but were still far from the team we’ve seen in recent weeks, with their confidence evidently shattered after what was a disastrous first half. A night Hammers fans will want to forget about in a hurry.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Fabianski (7); Zabaleta (4), Diop (5), Ogbonna (5), Cresswell (6); Snodgrass (6), Obiang (5), Rice (6), Lanzini (5); Perez (4), Arnautovic (5). 

Substitutes: Antonio (6), Hernandez (5), Diangana (6).

STAR MAN – There were very few players who can hold their heads up high after the loss, but had it not been for Lukasz Fabianski things could’ve been a whole lot worse for the Hammers.

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The Polish international made a number of important saves throughout the first half to keep the score respectable and gave his side a chance coming out for the second half. Unfortunately for him his teammates couldn’t capitalise, although Fabianski can safely say he did all he could on the night.

EVERTON

Key Talking Point

In stark contrast to their opponents, Everton pretty much had a faultless night. They suffocated the Hammers in the middle of the park and dealt with everything that was thrown at them on the defensive end – although there really wasn’t much of a threat posed to the defenders.

The one criticism you could have for the Toffees on the night was that if they had have been more clinical then they could easily have scored four or five goals, but two goals were enough in the end to secure a comfortable win.

The win will give the Everton players bags of confidence going forwards as they continue their bid to be seen as the best team outside of the Premier League’s top six.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Pickford (6); Coleman (7), Zouma (8), Keane (7), Digne (7); Gueye (7), Gomes (7); Richarlison (7), Sigurdsson (8), Bernard (9); Calvert-Lewin (7). 

Substitutes: Davies (6), Tosun (N/A), Walcott (N/A).

STAR MAN – In fairness there were a number of Everton players who put in solid shifts, although Bernard in particular stood out amongst the crowd.

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He looked a threat every time he got the ball going forward and showed signs of brilliance whilst in possession. He got the goal he deserved just to round off what was a fantastic night for the Brazilian, who looks to be thriving under the management of Marco Silva.

Looking Ahead

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?It had looked inevitable for quite some time but after their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon, Huddersfield’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed.

They needed other results to go their way but with both Burnley and Southampton picking up three points each, it’s now mathematically impossible for the Terriers to survive and their two-year stay in England’s top flight is now over.

Huddersfield have managed just three wins in their 32 games so far this campaign – including just one away win – and have scored the fewest amount of goals in what has been a torrid season for the fans at the John Smith Stadium to endure.

If that wasn’t bad enough, their relegation also means they’ve become just the second team along with Derby County in ?Premier League history to be relegated in the month of March, not a record they’ll want to be associated with.

Whilst ?Huddersfield fans will be consoling one another, neutrals seemed to find the funnier side of things, with many taking to Twitter to react to the news of the club’s relegation.

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Huddersfield will be hoping they can regroup and start fresh in the Championship next season, looking to secure a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Although as fans of  Stoke and Swansea will tell you, it’s not quite that simple.

The Terriers will need to try and keep as many of their current squad together if they are to mount a promotion chase, or else they could well suffer the same fate that many other clubs have had to endure and become mired in the Championship for several years.

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Without Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala, Juventus certainly lack creativity and incision in the final third, and that was evident by the way they stumbled to a 1-0 victory at home to Empoli.

The Serie A leaders began the match in conservative fashion as Empoli took the game to the Old Lady in the early stages. After a relatively lacklustre opening 20 minutes, Empoli’s Rade Krunic went close but dragged his shot wide. The first save was forced by Mario Mandzukic whose stooping header was pushed away by Bartlomiej Dragowski. 

Massimiliano Allegri must have had strong words for his side at half time. Federico Bernadeschi came out firing in the second half but saw his low drive shot tipped wide. A succession of missed chances followed as Juventus were left frustrated and failed to convert.

Young prospect Moise Kean entered the fray with around 20 minutes to play, and the 19-year-old made a sensational impact by smashing home the winner after being set up by Mario Mandzukic’s header to make it 1-0.

Here’s 90min’s breakdown of the game.

Juventus

Key Talking Point 

Juventus’ relentless pursuit of the Serie A title continued against Empoli in Turin where they were rocked prior to the match by injuries to two of their key forwards. 

Bianconeri were without the commanding presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who picked up a thigh injury whilst on international duty with Portugal. To make matters worse, Paulo Dybala picked up an injury in the warm up and had to be replaced by Rodrigo Bentancur. 

Allegri has rotated his star studded squad throughout the season but his hand was forced into a formation change because of Dybala’s injury. 

The Italian manager will want to ensure his side keep producing intense performances in order to hit the ground running in their Champions League quarter final first leg against Ajax.

The Bianconeri’s main priority is to win the trophy for the first time in 23 years. With the Serie A title all but wrapped up, Allegri will need to ensure his side do not become complacent.

The manager ultimately made a key decision by sending on Kean, who took just three minutes to score the winner for Juventus in a generally laboured performance for the Turin outfit.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI?: Szczesny (6); Cancelo (7), Chiellini (6), Rugani (7), Alex Sandro (5); Matuidi (6), Can (7), Pjanic (7), Bentancur (6); Bernadeschi (6), Mandzukic (7)

Substitutes: Spinazzola (6), Kean (8), Caceres (N/A)

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STAR MAN: 

In a performance in which Juventus looked tired, lethargic and short of quality and inspiration, no Bianconeri player registered anything until Moise Kean entered the game. Fans were disappointed the youngster did not start when Dybala was injured in the warm up and no wonder why. 

The striker half-volleyed an expert flick from Mario Mandzukic into the bottom left hand corner showing a natural talent in front of goal. His movement to get in behind the Empoli defence was something Juventus lacked throughout the match.

Kean followed up from his impressive debut for Italy, where he also scored, in sumptuous style. The youngster may now force his way into the starting lineup given the injuries to not only Ronaldo and Dybala, but also absentees Douglas Costa and Juan Cuadrado.

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Empoli

Player Ratings?

Starting XI: ?Dragowski (7); Di Lorenzo (6), Veseli (6), Maietta (6), Dell’ Orco (6), Pajac (5); Traore (6), Bennacer (7), Krunic (5); Farias (6), Caputo (6)

Substitutes: Ucan (5), Acquah (5), Pasqual (5)

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Looking Ahead 

Juventus travel to Cagliari next time out in Serie A as Allegri’s side will look to build momentum towards a big match against AC Milan in a week while tightening their grip on the league title. ?

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