Arsenal and Newcastle United have confirmed their starting lineups for Sunday’s Premier League showdown at the Emirates Stadium, and there is no Alexander Isak in the visitors’ squad.
The Sweden international – who has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal this summer – is nowhere to be seen in the Magpies’ ranks, so Callum Wilson comes in for just a second Premier League start of the season.
Newcastle have confirmed that Isak is absent owing to a minor groin injury, but Eddie Howe‘s team is otherwise unchanged from the side that defeated Chelsea 2-0 in gameweek 36.
Sven Botman has recovered from a blow to the knee in that game and links up with Dan Burn and Fabian Schar in a three-man backline, while Jacob Murphy and Tino Livramento start as the wing-backs.
While Newcastle fans have been dealt an unpleasant surprise with the absence of Isak, Arsenal have unexpectedly welcomed Declan Rice back to the starting lineup following a hamstring complaint.
Rice starts for Arsenal as Kai Havertz makes the bench
The England international missed last week’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, but he has made a miraculous recovery to return to the engine room in place of Mikel Merino, who is suspended after his red card at Anfield.
Rice’s rapid recuperation is one of a few boosts for Mikel Arteta, as Leandro Trossard is also fine to start in an unchanged attack despite also picking up an apparent hamstring problem against the champions.
Furthermore, Kai Havertz is back in the matchday squad for the first time since February after recovering from hamstring surgery, and Jorginho joins his former Chelsea teammate on the substitutes’ bench following a punctured lung.
However, Jurrien Timber is not involved at all, so Ben White keeps his place at right-back, meaning that the hosts have also made just the one change with Rice replacing Merino.
Arsenal start the day two points above third-placed Newcastle in the Premier League table, and either side would confirm their place in next season’s Champions League with all three points.
Arsenal starting lineup: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Martinelli, Trossard
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Havertz, Sterling, Calafiori, Henry-Francis, Nwaneri
Newcastle starting lineup: Pope; Botman, Schar, Burn; Murphy, Tonali, Guimaraes, Livramento; Barnes, Wilson, Gordon
Subs: Dubravka, Ruddy, Lascelles, Krafth, Osula, Willock, Miley, Longstaff, Neave
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