Arsenal vs. Newcastle United – EPL, January 18, 2021

Although Arsenal only managed a goalless draw with Palace in the week, this fixture sees two clubs with vastly different recent forms come together in north London.

Arsenal has shrugged off a mini-slump that threatened its manager’s job, while Newcastle is living with the embarrassment of being the first team to lose to Sheffield United this season.

MyBookie has seen enough over the last few weeks to be comfortable with offering Newcastle fairly long odds to win this game on Monday. Steve Bruce’s side can be inconsistent, but there is a real lack of form at the moment – and Arsenal should be able to exploit that at the Emirates.

After winning three games in a row, a goalless draw with Crystal Palace would probably have felt like a disappointment to Arsenal on Thursday. But considering the Gunners went seven games without a win before that, another point to add to the tally should probably be welcomed.

Arsenal had plummeted down the EPL table during that poor run of form, but Mikel Arteta will now be hoping that those days are behind his team. His team is still not completely convincing – and there are still some weak spots to eradicate, in the January window possibly – but another three points here could see Arsenal climb up to eighth.

Newcastle has been going the other way on the league table recently and dropped to 15th with the defeat at a previously winless Sheffield United on Tuesday. The performance was forgettable and nowhere near the level of commitment shown in the goalless draw with Liverpool in its last EPL outing.

That seems to be exactly the problem with Newcastle, though. The inconsistency in the performances – and the passion shown by the players – must infuriate the fans almost as much as the club’s owner. There has been a lot of problems off the field for Steve Bruce to deal with this season, but something needs to change quickly.

Arsenal is nowhere near the finished product at the moment, but there are signs that the majority of the first team is looking like it could give most teams in the league a good game now. There is still a worry over Aubameyang’s contribution – but three points from this Newcastle team should be fairly straightforward.