Newcastle vs Arsenal: 3 key battles on Tyneside

2. Jorginho vs Bruno Guimaraes

The Thomas Partey back-up is being relied upon more than we would like, yet Jorginho’s last Tyneside visit suggests he is certainly up to the task.

Back in May, Jorginho stood in for Partey against Newcastle and was named Man of the Match following our impressive 2-0 win. His 83% passing success rate and many recovery tackles that day (possession won back nine times – The Athletic) helped Arsenal to hold on for an important away victory, and such a big-game performance is crucial if we are to repeat the trick this weekend.

In the black and white corner stands Bruno Guimaraes, whose ample talents will greatly trouble our engine-room resistance. The 25-year-old drives his team up the pitch and is always watching for chances to split the defensive line (fourth most through balls in the league last season) with the aforementioned Almiron often being the beneficiary.

He also shields the ball extremely well, which makes him difficult to tackle, and covers plenty of ground to force opposition mistakes- an unsettling thought given Jorginho’s tendency to invite pressure.

This is a battle between two players of supreme intelligence, and Jorginho already knows what it takes to come out on top.

Continues on the next slide…