Arsenal: 3 things we’d like to see vs Newcastle

3. Test Newcastle Goalkeeper Karl Darlow

The goalkeeper situation at Newcastle has been an interesting one to follow over recent times. Steve Bruce chopped and changed the man in net during his tenure, and when Martin Dubravka suffered an injury the battle between Freddie Woodman and Karl Darlow emerged.

Woodman got the nod earlier in the season only for his own errors to see Darlow reinstated. Keeping his place since matchweek four, Darlow has never exuded confidence in his defenders and looked anything but solid against Brentford.

The calls are there for Dubravka to return in net and the ongoing uncertainty over the Magpies’ number one is something Arsenal must take advantage of. Four different goalkeepers have either been used in the Premier League or featured on the bench and whenever the man in between the sticks isn’t a dead certainty it’s an opportunity to test their resolve.

Darlow is guilty of flapping at shots while Dubravka tends to fall foul to the simpler elements of the game. Choosing one is like the lesser of two evils for Howe.

If Mohamed Elneny plays he’ll be firing them in for sure, having scored away at St James’ Park last season with a volley that well while hit should have been better handled by the Slovakian. He probably won’t do, though.