Newcastle can truly kickstart their season against Arsenal after what Eddie Howe just said
Newcastle United host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, with Eddie Howe predicting the game to be fiercely fought.
Eddie Howe has been urged to drop Nick Woltemade against Arsenal as the Toon chase their second win of the Premier League season.
Meanwhile, new signing Yoane Wissa has shared an injury update, although he will not be a part of the squad to face Arsenal as he continues on his path to recovery. Wissa has yet to make his first appearance for the club since completing a £55million move from Brentford.
After his fine start to life at the Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta has been told to drop Martin Odegaard in favour of Eberechi Eze. The 27-year-old already has a goal and two assists in his last four Arsenal appearances and already looks like one of their best players.
Eddie Howe expects Newcastle players to rise to Arsenal challenge
When Arsenal visit St. James’ Park on Sunday, it will be a ferocious atmosphere that greets them, and how they deal with the environment will shape the match.
Eddie Howe spoke to the media ahead of the clash and predicted that his players would rise to the occasion, referencing heated recent encounters with the Gunners.
“It’s always been competitive against Arsenal in the games that I’ve been here,” said Howe.
“There has been an edge to those games because both teams are desperate to win. We encourage that. The more competitive we are, the better we play – so we need to bring that side of our game.
“We have players that really respond to that type of game.”
Last five meetings between Newcastle and Arsenal
Last season, Newcastle United and Arsenal beat each other twice apiece. The Magpies eliminated the Gunners in the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final before beating Liverpool in the final to lift their first trophy in 70 years.
Arsenal have had the better start to the 2025-26 season and are currently 11 places higher than Newcastle but are just four points clear of this weekend’s opponent. A win for Howe’s men would take them within a point of the North Londoners and hamper their early Premier League title aspirations.
Overall, Newcastle have the better recent history in this fixture despite Arsenal dominating every game in terms of possession, passes completed and pass accuracy. The Tyneside outfit has managed to score four more goals than Arsenal in their last five meetings, and that will, of course, be the key metric on Sunday.
| Newcastle | Stat | Arsenal |
| 3 | Head-to-Head Wins | 2 |
| 7 | Goals Scored | 3 |
| 39.4 | Average Possession | 61.6 |
| 298 | Average Passes Completed | 452 |
| 74% | Average Pass Accuracy | 83% |
| 13 | Bookings | 12 |
| 3 | Clean Sheets | 1 |
It will be interesting to see how Newcastle’s new-look side without Alexander Isak will fare against Arsenal with the game at St. James’ Park shaping up to be a key game for both sides despite how early in the season it is.
For Arsenal, a defeat could potentially leave them eight points adrift of Liverpool if they beat Crystal Palace.
For Newcastle United, a defeat would mean falling as many as seven points behind Spurs and Bournemouth in the early-season race for Champions League places.