Arsenal predicted lineup vs Newcastle: Odegaard in 4-2-3-1?

Arsenal host Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday in what is the beginning of a period where the Gunners will play ten matches in 35 days. Here is the predicted lineup.

There is nothing quite like the Premier League’s winter schedule. It’s unrivalled. Games come thick and fast, there is heavy rotation and without any shadow of the doubt are there unwanted injuries to key players and surprise results.

Newcastle leaving north London with points would constitute the latter. Still without a win in their 12 league outings, Mikel Arteta will know he has a real chance of banishing some Anfield demons with a comfortable victory.

Who he feels are the right 11 players to do so is what is interesting. Without any fresh injuries from the 4-0 drubbing against Liverpool, the decisions he makes will come down to what he believes is the solution to his side being more threatening in front of goal.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Newcastle: Martin Odegaard to return to the team in a 4-2-3-1 system with Nuno Tavares keeping his place?

After all, the winless Magpies at the bottom of the table have scored more goals than fifth place Arsenal this season. That is not right.

Hoping to start setting that right, there are three areas of his team that could be in for some shuffling: the Lacazette experiment may be shelved for a day, Nuno Tavares might come out of the team and midfield might see a change around to compensate for the volume of matches to come.

Manchester United at Old Trafford five days later won’t mean there needs to be players rested after a week without playing, but Arteta may see this is an opportunity to play some other members of his squad before the games come every three or so days.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Martin Odegaard are two vying for minutes, while Thomas Partey was clearly not up to full fitness in the Merseyside humbling. Then again, there is no European football for Arsenal.

It’s full steam ahead in the Premier League, right?

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Aaron Ramsdale (GK) – The only player who could really leave Anfield feeling as if he did his job was the guy who conceded four goals. Even so, he’s the first to admit he wasn’t at his best.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (RB) – One of many players who had contrasting halves against Liverpool, there is no way on planet earth one of the other right-backs takes over this place. Might see Cedric against Everton, though.

Benjamin White (CB) – Defended stoutly for 45 minutes in Liverpool then fell apart like the rest. Has one Allan Saint-Maximin to deal with on Saturday.

Gabriel (CB) – Pretty much exactly the same as his centre-back partner, Gabriel has a very different task ahead of him with Callum Wilson who offers a physical threat.

Nuno Tavares (LB) – What will the manager do? Given the tough away fixtures coming up, he might just hand Nuno a chance to respond to his second half last week and then hand he reins back over to Tierney after that.

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Midfielders

Thomas Partey (CM) – Unable to impact the last game as he would have liked, the point remains that he’s by far the best in his position at the club and will keep his place.

There is certain scope for Arteta to keep him back from this one and manage his workload ahead of Old Trafford, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he came off around the 60-minute mark.

Albert Sambi Lokonga (CM) – If Maitland-Niles plays instead then it should only be with an eye on fielding Sambi against Manchester United to keep rotation within the squad. Take those eight second half minutes out of the equation and Sambi had a solid game at Anfield.

His internal hunger will see him want to react straight away and the money is on him being allowed to do so.

Martin Odegaard (AM) – The most interesting call of all will be whether Arteta feels the Lacazette ploy has ran its course.

The bubble hasn’t burst but it’s been going flat, and with £34m spent in the summer to invest in the long-term solution to the creative issues at Arsenal it could be the time to let Odegaard get his minutes.

Barely playing this season and when doing so being out of position, he warrants a run in the No. 10 slot and not a No. 8 role where he’s out on the left. It’s a change Arteta is expected to make.

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Forwards

Bukayo Saka (RW) – Return of the 4-2-3-1!

Even if the 4-4-2/4-4-1-1/4-2-2-2/whatever has shades of 4-2-3-1 in it, the reintroduction of Odegaard as the No. 10 feels like the step Arteta will take to get all three of his best creators in those zones around the penalty box.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST) – Feeding off scraps last time out, for all his hard work off the ball and leadership by example, a few goals wouldn’t go amiss. Especially against a defence that has conceded more than anyone else in the division.

Emile Smith Rowe (LW) – One of Smith Rowe or Saka could be given the afternoon off – or at least out of the starting lineup – to account for the upcoming two away fixtures, but Arteta will want momentum in his team starting with Saturday.

If Newcastle set up in the 3-4-3 shape as they did against Brentford then the game is set up magnificently for Smith Rowe to exploit those advanced half-spaces between the visitors’ lines.