Newcastle United vs. Arsenal Prediction: Will Gunners Strike Right Balance?

• Arsenal rescued a point against Manchester City on Sunday but lost ground on Liverpool

• Newcastle United are yet to click into gear after an eventful summer at St James’ Park

• Will Newcastle rise to the occasion, or can Arsenal return to winning ways?

Newcastle United vs. Arsenal Odds

The odds for Newcastle United vs. Arsenal can be found in the odds table below, courtesy of BetRivers sportsbook. Sign up for a BetRivers account and claim the welcome offer: $500 Bonus Bet.

My -120 Pick for Newcastle United vs. Arsenal 

Go for under 2.5 goals in this one. We expect a gripping, hard-fought encounter when Newcastle United take on Arsenal, but not necessarily a high-scoring one.

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Arsenal Still Dogged by Accusations of Excessive Conservatism

A point gained or two points lost? Opinion was divided after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City last weekend, a game in which the Gunners trailed for more than 81 minutes before Gabriel Martinelli struck in second-half stoppage time to equalize for the hosts at the Emirates Stadium.

In the circumstances, it was probably a point gained. A second defeat in their fifth game of the Premier League season would have been a huge blow to Mikel Arteta's men. The Arsenal boss was understandably pleased with the perseverance his side showed against a potential title rival. In the long run, that point could prove to be pivotal.

Yet there was also an element of frustration experienced by Arsenal supporters last time out. Arteta set his team up conservatively from the outset, picking Mikel Merino as his third midfielder ahead of Ebere Eze. Arsenal's strategy in the first half seemed to be ‘give the ball to Noni Madueke and hope for the best’.

To his credit, Arteta switched things up in the second half and his team played on the front foot thereafter. But up against a well-organized and uncharacteristically reactive City rearguard, Arsenal lacked guile for most of the second period. In fairness, Martinelli’s equalizer was a wonderful goal in terms of both creation and conversion.

Still, it is hard to shake the feeling that Arteta has a tendency towards caution which could cost his team over the course of a 38-game season. Arsenal are a fine side and they have come on leaps and bounds in Arteta's tenure. Only time will tell whether they are capable of clearing that final hurdle, the highest one of all.

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Newcastle Had a Tough Summer, but Now is the Time to Move Forward

Newcastle United are yet to get going this season. A 0-0 draw with Bournemouth last weekend left them 12th in the table after five games. They have drawn three of those contests, with one victory and one defeat. Newcastle were also beaten by Barcelona in their first Champions League game of the campaign.

It is perhaps not surprising that Newcastle have started slowly. They had a difficult summer, dominated as it was by Alexander Isak’s transfer saga. The Sweden international was only sold to Liverpool right at the end of the transfer window, which meant his replacement Nick Woltemade was not brought in until the final days. Yoane Wissa, another late addition, then suffered an injury before he had made his debut for the Magpies.

Eddie Howe has not grumbled, but he knows as well as anyone that Newcastle need lift-off sooner rather than later. The last time they were in the Champions League, their domestic form suffered. Newcastle must do a better job of balancing both competitions this time around, but they probably could have done with a touch more strength in depth in certain areas of the pitch.

With just three goals to their name so far, it is clear that Newcastle need to become more productive in the final third. The return of Anthony Gordon from suspension should help in that regard, while Woltemade should get better in time. Howe, for one, knows that his team must improve going forward.

“It’s not good. You want to create chances and clear-cut chances,” Howe told BBC Sport after the game against Bournemouth, his former employers. “I didn’t feel that in our performance. We are going through one of those phases where it’s hard to score away from home.”

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Goals to Be Few and Far Between in Newcastle vs. Arsenal

Arsenal have not enjoyed their recent visits to St James’ Park. Newcastle have won each of the last three head-to-head clashes between this pair in the northeast of England, as well as four of the last five. Arsenal have struggled to get results away to Newcastle during Howe’s time in charge of the latter.

With the Magpies still adjusting to life after Isak amid a run of one win in five league games, Arsenal must feel they have a good chance of ending their three-match losing streak at St James’. At the same time, with Gordon back and the home crowd behind them, Newcastle will believe they can get something from Sunday's showdown.

From a betting perspective, the moneyline market is not the best option. Rather, under 2.5 goals is the way to go. As discussed earlier, Arteta is not one to throw caution to the wind in big games. He will set his team up to be solid first and foremost. Arsenal will look to build their way into the encounter gradually, rather than going hell for leather in the first few minutes.

Newcastle, meanwhile, have generally kept things tight at the back with the exception of a 3-2 defeat by Liverpool. No one has kept more clean sheets than the Magpies, while four of their five league games have featured one goal or zero. Goals could be at a premium in this one.

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How to Watch Newcastle United vs. Arsenal

• Teams: Newcastle United vs. Arsenal

• Location: St James’ Park, Newcastle, England

• Date and Time: Sunday, 28th September, 11:30 AM ET.

• How to Watch: USA Network