Newcastle United welcome Arsenal to St James' Park for the final home game of the Magpies season on Monday, with Eddie Howe's side looking to sign off their Premier League campaign with a win.
The Magpies lost the return fixture against Arsenal in late November, which was Eddie Howe's first game in the Newcastle dugout. Back then, Newcastle were staring down the barrel of relegation. They had yet to win a Premier League game. However, the contrast between then and now could not be more stark, with Howe masterminding a superb run of form in 2022 that has saw the Magpies secure their Premier League safety with over a month left to play.
Arsenal have enjoyed an excellent season under Mikel Arteta, and could cap it off with a Champions League spot too, which would see them return to Europe's elite competition after five years in the wilderness. ChronicleLive runs the rule over what the Magpies have to do to upset the Gunners when they travel up to Tyneside on Monday night.
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Start Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier
It seems more likely than not that England internationals Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier will be restored to the Newcastle starting line-up against Arsenal next Monday. The duo have missed a significant amount of game time in 2022 due to injuries, with Emil Krafth and Chris Wood deputising in their place.
While both have had their moments, they are both back-ups when Trippier and Wilson are fit. The introduction of the pair against Manchester City saw Trippier delivering quality crosses and Wilson running the channels, something the Magpies attack has missed of late.
Against an Arsenal side that are chasing a top four finish, which might not be sown up should they lose the North London derby to Spurs on Thursday, Newcastle will need to be at their attacking best. They will need to create chances, which Trippier's return should boost and put them away, which is what Wilson does best.
Bar Jonjo Shelvey, who is set to miss the final two games of the season, Newcastle should have a full strength staring XI against Arsenal, which is not something Eddie Howe has been able to do during his tenure. A win over the top four chasing Gunners would be another statement from the Magpies and one that is entirely possible.
Defend Arsenal's set-pieces
Gone are the days in which Arsenal were a soft touch from set-pieces. In fact, they're now one of the best in the Premier League at scoring them.
Over the summer, they brought in a set-piece coach Nicolas Jover from Manchester City. The season prior, they scored just three and conceded four which was the second-lowest mark in the Premier League.
However, this season, Arsenal have scored 10 goals from corners, which is only bettered by Liverpool and Manchester City. As the Analyst notes, they built up their defensive foundations last season under their previous set-piece coach Andreas Georgson, and have now begun to convert their chances from them.
Recently against West Ham, Arsenal's two centre-halves on the day, Rob Holding and Gabriel both converted from set-pieces in the Gunners 2-1 win. If Newcastle are to have any hope of sending the Toon Army into the summer with a win, they will have to be wary of Arsenal's set-piece profligacy, and watch out for the dangerous deliveries from the likes of Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe.
Ride the wave
It's the final game at St James' Park this season and the Magpies will want to send fans off into the summer with an idea of where the club can go moving forward. In recent seasons, the final day atmosphere at St James' Park has been something to behold.
In 2017, Newcastle won the Championship title, in 2018, they beat Chelsea 3-0 at a sun soaked St James' and in 2019, they lost 3-2 to Liverpool in the dying embers of the match.
COVID meant the 2020 campaign was played out behind closed doors, while the 2021 finale saw Newcastle win a more muted 1-0 affair against Sheffield United. If St James' Park is at it's raucous best, the atmosphere could make a huge difference against Arsenal.
Wor Flags are set to unveil their biggest display of the season beforehand too, means that St James' should be rocking. If Newcastle can channel that energy from the stands on to the pitch, then Arsenal will be in for an incredibly tough evening.
It's a long way to come on a Monday night, and with Champions League qualification potentially on the line, there is every chance Newcastle could face a nervy Arsenal.
