Newcastle United take on Arsenal in the 3rd round of the FA Cup this weekend and manager Steve Bruce has confirmed that Martin Dubravka will be back in goal.
Martin Dubravka has been out of action for a couple of months with an ankle injury and the 31-year-old has not played even a single game in the Premier League this season. He’s returned to training for some time now and him starting in goal will be a huge plus for the Magpies on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
“There are some players who need to play. I think I’ve said it from day one when I walked through the door here that I’m disappointed that we’ve got to two quarter-finals and haven’t got past them,” he said, as per the club’s official website.
“I’ve treated the cup as seriously as I possibly could. We blew a wonderful opportunity a month ago to get to a semi-final.
“Yes, there’ll be a few changes tomorrow. Dúbravka needs a game – he’s back ready, and needs that game probably – so I’ll use that match. We could have done with an easier tie to get through to the next one, but we’ll treat it with the respect obviously that Arsenal deserve.”
The return of Martin Dubravka in goal is a double-edged sword for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and the Spanish boss will have be careful with how he briefs his players.
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Some might argue that the likes of Nketiah and Martinelli should be urged to test the 31-year-old from the very first minute since this will be his first competitive game in a really long time.
On the other hand, Arteta will also have to ask his forwards to be that bit extra focused on Saturday since the Slovakian international is the senior pro for Newcastle United.
Arsenal are expected to rest the likes of Lacazette and Aubameyang on Saturday meaning this is the perfect game for Martin Dubravka to make a comeback into the senior side.
