Arsenal will be looking to put their disappointing midweek defeat in the Europa League semi-final first leg behind them as they seek to make it seven wins in a row against Sunday afternoon's opponent Newcastle, a side that have eased those relegation worries with recent wins over Burnley and West Ham.
Steve Bruce's side were among the favourites to go down after a damaging 3-0 defeat to Brighton, but eight points out of four tricky games – added with Fulham's poor recent run of form – now means a win tomorrow should virtually confirm Premier League football for next season.
The Gunners heading into this fixture are expected to be laser-focused on overturning their 2-1 defeat to Villarreal in the second leg of that semi-final next week, and may field a weaker side for the trip to St James' Park with that in mind despite only winning one of their last five league games.
Team news – Newcastle
Recent goalscoring hero and Arsenal loanee Joe Willock is unable to face his parent club tomorrow.
Jamaal Lascelles, Ryan Fraser, Karl Darlow and Isaac Hayden all remain ruled out with injuries that are set to keep them ruled out for the rest of the season.
Fabian Schar featured for the Newcastle under-23 side in midweek in a bid to return to the first-team before the end of the season after making a speedy recovery from a knee injury – but is not expected to be involved for the visit of Arsenal.
Steve Bruce said in his pre-match press conference that Matt Ritchie has been struggling with a calf injury during the week, but expects the Scottish international to play tomorrow.
Team news – Arsenal
Kieran Tierney and Alexandre Lacazette are both slowly returning to fitness after being sidelined with knee and thigh injuries respectively – but the pair are both doubts to make the trip to Tyneside.
Previous meeting
The last time these two teams met was in January 2021, where Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners against Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium.
After a goalless opening 45 minutes, The Gunners broke the deadlock five minutes after the restart through Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.
Just 10 minutes later, Bukayo Saka doubled their lead before Aubameyang bagged his second of the game, to round off a commanding victory for Mikel Arteta's side.
Ones to watch
Newcastle – Allan Saint-Maximin
Since Allan Saint-Maximin's inspirational return to the Newcastle team at the start of April, The Magpies have gone unbeaten.
It is safe to say that the Frenchman has been the catalyst to Newcastle's dramatic upturn in form – and there is no doubt if the tricky forward is at his best tomorrow, it will be a very long afternoon for those Arsenal defenders.
Arsenal – Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang
After recovering from malaria which was picked up on international duty with Gabon, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is returning to Premier League action after a three game hiatus to face a Newcastle side he has a rich vein of form against.
Aubameyang has scored against The Magpies in all of his last four appearances against them, including a brace in the previous meeting between the two sides, making it the perfect time to return to the Arsenal team.
Predicted lineups
Newcastle: Dubravka; Murphy, Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie; Shelvey, S.Longstaff; Almiron; Wilson, Saint-Maximin. (5-2-1-2)
Arsenal: Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Cedric; Elneny, Xhaka; Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Aubameyang. (4-2-3-1)
Where to watch the game
Sky Sports Main Event/ Sky Sports Premier League - 14:00 BST - 02/05/2021