Newcastle look to continue their good form and push away from the relegation zone when they host Arsenal at St. James’ Park

The Magpies are unbeaten in their last four games which includes huge points earned against Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham, with Steve Bruce’s side hoping to extend their run against an Arsenal side with their focus on Europe.

With top four hopes and a route into Europe via the league down the drain for Arsenal yet again, the only route into the Champions League can come from winning the Europa League.

Mikel Arteta’s side will host Villarreal in the semi-final second leg on Thursday, as they chase down their Spanish opposition from a goal behind.

Arteta’s focus on Thursday’s game will likely mean a lot of rotation from the side that started last week’s tie, to give his star players a rest ahead of the biggest game of Arsenal’s season.

With that being said, captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang could start his first game since he contracted malaria on international duty last month, likely alongside Gabriel Martinelli who only featured from the bench last week.

A lot of other changes can be expected on Sunday, with younger players such as Folarin Balogun, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson likely to play some part in the fixture.

Kieran Tierney could also return to action this weekend, as he returned to training last week before the Villarreal game which came just too soon for the Scotsman.

A huge blow for Newcastle this weekend will be the absence of Joe Willock from the squad, with the Arsenal loanee not allowed to play against his parent club.

Willock has scored three goals in his last four games, all of which vital goals late on to equalise against Liverpool and Tottenham as well as a winner against Champions League-chasing West Ham.

Arteta was full of praise for Joe Willock in his midweek press conference, as he discussed the loanee’s future:

“It was a difficult decision to let him go because we really like the player, but he needed more game-time and needed this type of experience,” Arteta revealed.

“He has stepped in at big moments for them and scored some crucial goals so that is really good news because it is great for his development.”

With Willock out, the Newcastle side will be a lot more reliant on their playmaker in midfield, Allan Saint-Maximin. The Frenchman has struggled with injuries all season, however, has shone for the Magpies of late, with two goals and an assist in his last three games showing just how capable he can be in attack.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt