Arsenal missed out on the top four last season which means they will have to play in the Europa League this time around.
The Gunners finished fifth in the league table but they surely will be hoping to make a mark this campaign and in their opening game they will take Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
Arsenal have made a number of fine signings this summer with the inclusion of Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos which means, the Magpies will have a really tough job in their hands trying to keep the North London side from scoring.
But what worries most of the pundits is the weak defensive lineup and Steve Bruce would be hoping that his attacking players can use this to their advantage.
Arsenal news vs Newcastle:
The first and the most obvious concern will be with the injury of Dani Ceballos who was on the receiving end of a tackle from Clément Lenglet when the Gunners faced Barcelona.
Speaking after the match, Unai Emery revealed that the midfielder did pick up a knock and will not be available for training.
The manager said: “My idea was to play Ceballos for about 20 minutes. He was very sore after Lenglet’s kick and he can’t train for the next few days.”
While most reports claim that Ceballos should be fit to make the journey but we doubt whether the manager will risk him at the very start of the new campaign.
In case, the loanee does not feature in the starting line up then Matteo Guendouzi who will feature in central midfield alongside Lucas Torreira.
Alexandre Lacazette is currently recovering from a foot injury but the Gunners boss is hopeful that he will be able to make himself available for the Newcastle game on Sunday.
“Hopefully he (Alexandre Lacazette) will be ready for the match against Newcastle,” Emery said.
“The doctors are optimistic and we are going to wait. The next few days are going to be important, to see if he can progress with his injury. If he is OK for Sunday then perfect…but if not, for the next one. Tomorrow [Monday] we are going to train together.
Everyone will be hoping that Nicolas Pepe will be handed a starting role at St James’ Park but Emery had hinted after the Barcelona game that the new arrival will not be rushed into action.
“Each day for him [Nicolas Pepe] is information. We hope he can be available for this [Newcastle] match but with him, I want to be patient.”
“He is in the same situation as the other players who have been coming in these last days. With Pepe, it’s [now] better to be training and be working with us.”
With Pepe not likely to start we should see Mesut Ozil get a start upfront when Arsenal travel to St James’ Park on Sunday.
Hector Bellerin underwent surgery to repair his knee injury in January and he expected to be out for some more time. This means Maitland-Niles will play as the right-back vs the Magpies
