Arsenal duo Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes face a race against time to be fit for their massive match against Newcastle and will have to pass fitness tests late before the match.
Mikel Arteta will face the fitness of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes on Monday as Arsenal take on Newcastle in a must-win match.
Arsenal travel to Newcastle knowing that anything other than the three points could cost themselves a place in next season’s Champions League after Tottenham thrashed them 3-0 on Thursday. Ben White was an unused substitute in that match as he struggled to get back to full fitness, and Arsenal worsened further when Gabriel stopped injury late.
Rob Holding’s red card had left Arteta without defensive options after he was sent off by Tottenham. But both Wyatt and Gabriel have missed training, and will undergo fitness tests late before Arteta decides whether to face Newcastle on Monday.
It could be a very temporary partnership at the heart of Arsenal’s defense if White and Gabriel are both deemed unfit, and that would be music to the ears of Spurs, who are dreaming of making a mistake. Although a place in the top four is still in Arsenal’s hands, momentum has swung once again, putting pressure on Arteta and his team.
Spurs did everything they could, having beaten Burnley 1-0 on Sunday, and anything other than an Arsenal win would see them enter the final day of the Premier League season in fourth place. But Gabriel and White traveled to Newcastle with the rest of the squad, providing hope for Arsenal.
The pair will be evaluated late, and due to the importance of the game may be risked by Arteta. Arsenal have the luxury of playing their last game of the season at home, which gives even more importance to the three-point win over Newcastle.
Although Arteta may be forced to take the risk, he has already hinted that he could mess with his line of defence, and make some “tweaks” to Monday’s game. He revealed: “We will have to adjust certain situations to try to make it work because we don’t have more defenders.
“And even the academy players we have haven’t experienced much in those positions because they’re not specific central defenders. So that’s something we’ll try to find a way to overcome.”
Granit Xhaka played as a left-back and centre-back during his time at Arsenal, and the versatile Takehiro Tomiyasu could be used in a central role. The Japan international plays centrally with the national team, but plays on the right flank of Arsenal in an ideal position.
But Arteta is hoping at least one of his regular players will be fit in order to make his life easier, and Eddie Howe is likely to use that problem to his advantage as Newcastle prepares to cause an upset. The Magpies have turned things around since Howe was hired, and made St James Park a fortress in 2022.
Even their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool had won six consecutive home games, and they will want to put in a solid performance in their last home game of the season. Chris Wood will pitch his chances against a potentially weak defense, and Alain Saint-Maximin could be a major threat.
But it’s simple for Arsenal, winning the match and heading into the last game of the season with a huge advantage. But fail to win, and Spurs could punish them in a brutal way.
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