Mark Lawrenson takes cheeky dig at Arsenal while predicting result of Newcastle United clash
Pundit Mark Lawrenson aimed a cheeky dig at Arsenal's title credentials while predicting their upcoming Premier League fixture against Newcastle United (February 24).
Mikel Arteta's side are coming into this match after a shock defeat in their midweek Champions League round-of-16 first-leg tie against Porto (1-0, February 21). The loss came as a surprise, given the north Londoners form in the league of late.
Last week, they dispatched Burnley 5-0, marking their fifth consecutive victory in the English top flight. From those matches, Arsenal have scored a whopping 21 goals and conceded just two.
Predicting a 3-0 defeat for the Magpies at the Emirates, Lawrenson wrote (via Paddy Power News):
"Newcastle haven’t got a striker at the moment so I’ll go for an easy Arsenal win. They’ll be winning the league again then!"
Lawrenson's dig comes as we head into the business end of the season, where Arteta's side crumbled last time around. In the 2022/23 campaign, they led the Premier League race for 248 days, only to see Manchester City win by five points in the end.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United are without Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, who are both nursing injuries. Their last Premier League match ended in a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth (February 17).
The Magpies currently find themselves eighth in the standings, 12 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. The Gunners, on the other hand, are vying for the title, sitting third and five points shy of Liverpool, who have played a game more.
Mikel Arteta confirms that Arsenal's Thomas Partey is 'very close' to return
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is nearing a return to action, Mikel Arteta said before the Gunners' Premier League match against Newcastle United on Saturday.
The Ghana international has endured a lengthy absence, last appearing in the Gunners' 1-0 win over Manchester City on October 8, 2023. Arteta said (via the club's official website):
"We have another session today and obviously he’s been out for many, many months now and we need to really nail the timing and when he has enough in the tank to compete, but I think he’s very close."
Partey has made just four Premier League appearances this campaign and is yet to score. It looks unlikely that he will feature against the Magpies this weekend, but could be a huge asset for his side in the coming weeks.