ARSENAL 0-0 NEWCASTLE
There’s a first ever Premier League start for Eddie Nketiah, who found the net against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos makes a first start since November, while Nicolas Pepe returns in attack.
Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli drop to the bench while Matteo Guendouzi is absent from the matchday squad entirely.
Valentino Lazaro and Danny Rose, the two January signings, make their full debuts after coming on as substitutes against the Canaries.
Elsewhere Sean Longstaff starts with DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden missing out.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Xhaka, Ceballos, Ozil, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang
Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Clark, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lazaro, Almiron, S. Longstaff, Bentaleb, Rose, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton
ARSENAL 0-0 NEWCASTLE
1: Right then, shall we get the ball rolling? Can Mikel Arteta’s ‘work in progress’ Arsenal start turning draws into wins or will Steve Bruce pull off another cracking result in the capital. We’re underway.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
I don’t like that – Arteta
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta: “I think we have to generate some defensive stability, but not by defending deep. I don’t like that.
“It’s by defending high and pressing the opponent as much as possible. But the process – together as many times as possible in the most efficient way – has to be done properly from here.
“If not, in two passes when you arrive there, that transition is impossible to control because you are too far from the opponent. So we need to do that well first to be able to generate and sustain our attacks as many times as possible during the games.”
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Full time
Would you believe it. I mean, that’s brutal.
Tottenham have beaten Aston Villa with the very last kick of the game courtesy of Son Heung-min, who took advantage of a howler from Bjorn Engels to wrap up the points.
Jack Grealish, who was sublime, gives Engels a wee pep talk as they walk down the tunnel. Tough one – Villa deserved something out of that game.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Twitter round-up
Renato: Really happy to see Dani Ceballos starting! I still think there’s a top player there. Eddie Nketiah leading the line is a surprising one, I heard Mikel Arteta has been super impressed with him in training.
Jason: Pathetic from Mikel Arteta. Unai Emery underestimated Crystal Palace last year, and we got punished. This feels the same. How stupid not to start Gabriel Martinelli and he starts Aubameyang out wide and puts Eddie Nketiah to lead the line. The guy that couldn’t cut it in the Championship.
Tom: The way Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is being played makes it seem like he’s off this summer. Mikel Arteta doesn’t rate his style of play up top?!
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Elsewhere…
Aston Villa and Tottenham are still slugging it out at a horribly wet and windy Villa Park.
Dean Smith’s side took the lead courtesy of an own goal from Toby Alderweireld, who then made amends with the equaliser.
Son Heung-min’s penalty was saved by Pepe Reina in first-half stoppage-time but he slotted home the rebound to give Jose Mourinho’s side the advantage.
Defender Bjorn Engels then scored his first ever Premier League goal to equalise. There’s around five minutes plus stoppage time left in that one.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Team news – Newcastle
Snap! Steve Bruce also makes three changes from the goalless draw against Norwich before the winter break.
Valentino Lazaro and Danny Rose, the two January signings, make their full debuts after coming on as substitutes against the Canaries.
Elsewhere Sean Longstaff starts with DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden missing out.
Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Clark, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lazaro, Almiron, S. Longstaff, Bentaleb, Rose, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Darlow, Schar, Lejeune, M. Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu, Ritchie.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Team news – Arsenal
Mikel Arteta makes three changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Burnley all those days ago.
Well these are most unexpected so I’d better get on with it. There’s a first ever Premier League start for Eddie Nketiah, who found the net against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos makes a first start since November, while Nicolas Pepe returns in attack.
Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli drop to the bench while Matteo Guendouzi is absent from the matchday squad entirely.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Xhaka, Ceballos, Ozil, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang.
Subs: Martinez, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Torreira, Willock, Martinelli, Lacazette.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Starting XI…
And the team news arrives. A quick glance tells me that Mikel Arteta is really going for this today. Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos makes the starting XI.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Xhaka, Ceballos, Ozil, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang.
Subs: Martinez, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Torreira, Willock, Martinelli, Lacazette.
Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Clark, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lazaro, Almiron, S. Longstaff, Bentaleb, Rose, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Darlow, Schar, Lejeune, M. Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu, Ritchie.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
The winter break…
Everyone enjoying the Premier League’s inaugural winter break? Me neither.
It feels like the England international breaks under Fabio Capello or Steve McClaren or something.
Found myself getting inexplicably excited to watch Southampton vs Burnley yesterday. Send help!
Afternoon
Hello folks and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Arsenal vs Newcastle.
Well the good news is that the Premier League fixture has survived Storm Dennis…
The bad news is that the players have to play during Storm Dennis…
Make no mistake, it’s grim. Cold, wet and more blustery than… well something that’s blustery I suppose. Sorry, my literary powers have failed me, again.
Anyway, this looks a very intriguing fixture with one of the league’s most stylish and sought-after managers going up against Mikel Arteta. Both sides locked on 31 points in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Team news and line ups on the way. Standby…
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
ARSENAL vs NEWCASTLE
Arsenal are looking to get back to winning ways when they welcome Newcastle to the Emirates today. Mikel Arteta’s side have not played since a 0-0 draw with Burnley at the start of the month, but will hope to be rejuvenated following the Premier League’s inaugural winter break.
Arsenal used the January transfer window to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season, signing defenders Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares on loan until the end of the campaign.
However, neither player was available to make their debut against Burnley last time out and are not expected to feature against Newcastle here either.
Kieran Tierney is still sidelined after a dislocated shoulder but is also expected to be back in full training before March while Calum Chambers remains a long-term absentee due to a knee injury.
On a positive note, Mikel Arteta has Sead Kolasinac, Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson available after the trio all recovered from separate fitness issues.