Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side will want to take all three points from a potentially difficult Saturday evening match against Newcastle United.
The Magpies need the win for different reasons, but with Man City keeping up the pace and now just a point behind Liverpool after their 1-0 win at Bournemouth, the Gunners can’t afford to slip further back in the title race.
It’s a big football cliche, but every game for the teams at the top will be a final now, with each point taking Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal closer to the coveted prize.
For Pep Guardiola, he has the opportunity to win four Premier League’s in a row which has never been done before, Jurgen Klopp is leaving the Reds at season’s end so it’s blindingly obvious why another title would be a perfect send off, and it’s the 20-year anniversary of Arsenal’s Invincible season. Surely the first title for the North Londoners since then would be poetic.
Arteta has kept virtually the same starting XI from the one that he played against Porto in the midweek Champions League fixture.
Jorginho coming in for Leandro Trossard is the only change for the Magpies visit, with David Raya marshalling a defence of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Jakub Kiwior.
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard will have license to go forward as Jorginho sits, and they can complement a front three of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz.
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