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After losing 4-1 in the reverse fixture in the December of despair that followed a brief period of hope in the prior months, Newcastle welcome Arsenal to St James’ Park three months later in a depleted, dejected, and desperate state.
So it’ll no doubt be of comfort to know that we’ve lost our last six games against Arsenal, who have averaged three strikes per match over that span of fixtures, while we’ve not even crossed the goal a game mark (and more than half of those we have scored came in the 7-3 loss). We’ve only defeated Wenger’s side twice in the last decade; Andy Carroll’s goal granting us a 1-0 away win in 2010, and a Nobby Solano effort earning a 1-0 home victory all the way back in 2005.
Arsenal have been in excellent form of late, as they sneakily edge their way into the title picture while Chelsea and Man City have begun to stumble. The Gunners have gained victory in their last five Premier League games, taking them from sixth to third, a point short of the Citizens, and seven off Chelsea.
On the other hand, Newcastle have been trying their best to drop down the table, after having established a buffer zone around eleventh place, protecting us from the rest of the top half and the relegation battle below. Three losses out of four, with a win over Villa mixed in there and a couple of draws beforehand mean we’ve taken just five points from six games, and have eroded that cushion over the rest of the bottom half to the point that West Brom and Pardew’s Palace are able to overtake us this weekend. Continue reading