After taking down Chelsea in the League Cup at mid-week to bounce back from a loss to the Blues in the Premier League last weekend, Newcastle have an even tougher London matchup on Saturday afternoon against Arsenal.
The Gunners are one of the title favorites again this season, buoyed by Rodri’s injury for Manchester City, while Newcastle are a class behind them and in a real fight to qualify for the Champions League again.
Despite making it to the Champions League after a statement of a 2022/23 campaign, Newcastle failed to qualify for Europe entirely last season, taking a step back.
This season, Newcastle have looked outside the bubble after a poor summer transfer window, falling behind clubs that did make significant improvements, such as Chelsea.
Newcastle will be out to stake their claim against Arsenal this weekend, but they may have to do so without the benefit of two of their best players – and two of the best attacking players in the Premier League as a whole.
Speaking before Saturday’s game, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe gave a cryptic update on star forwards Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, “They both feel OK, we will assess how they feel today, 48 hours after the game. They have both had niggling injuries so we’ll make a decision today. We need to make sure whoever enters the pitch against Arsenal is in the best physical condition.”
Gordon and Isak both started in the League Cup win over Chelsea, but they were both subbed out in the second half just after the hour mark with the Magpies in control of the game at 2-0.
Since neither Isak nor Gordon are significantly injured and both are so important to the Magpies’ success, it’s hard to see either of them missing this game, especially with Newcastle not having a win in the Premier League since Sept. 15 against Wolves.
A more concrete update from Newcastle should be forthcoming before the game against Arsenal, but without a clear injury, expect Gordon and Isak to be available for this vital fixture at St. James’s Park.
