LONDON: Arsenal will try to continue their strong defensive record on Sunday when they visit a Newcastle United side still struggling to score goals since the departure of Alexander Isak.
Arsenal (3-1-1, 10 points) have allowed just two scores so far in league play. And Manchester City’s Erling Haaland became the first and so far, only Premier League player to score against Arsenal from open play in the ninth minute of last weekend’s 1-1 draw.
Manager Mikel Arteta says the club’s stinginess is a credit not only to his rearguard, but to the approach of all 11 players on the field.
“We start from our frontline and the amount of pressure and work that they put into any defensive line, any goalkeeper, is tremendous,” Arteta said. “So, it’s something collective, it’s a team sport and in anything that we do, everybody has a pivotal role in that.”
Even so, the Gunners still find themselves five points back of Liverpool and already managing injuries to several key players.
However, Arteta said attacker Bukayo Saka should be fit for Sunday’s clash and that his removal following a heavy challenge in Wednesday’s 2-0 League Cup win vs. Port Vale was planned.
Newcastle (1-1-3, 6 points) have scored only three goals so far in the league amid the saga that eventually saw Isak move to Liverpool for a reported fee of $170 million.
The Magpies moved for Stuttgart’s 23-year-old Nick Woltemade as a replacement at the transfer deadline. He’s scored once so far in two league appearances after he had 12 goals in a breakthrough Bundesliga campaign.
That said, Newcastle have won their last three against Arsenal at St. James’ Park, including the second leg of last year’s Leagues Cup semifinal en route to the club’s first major honor in 70 years.
And they’ve been very competitive so far in two home matches against global footballing powers, a 3-2 league loss to Liverpool in the second game of the Premier League season, and a 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat to FC Barcelona on Sept. 18.
“It has always been a competitive game against Arsenal, and there has been an edge to those games as both teams want to win,” said Magpies manager Eddie Howe. “The more competitive we are, the better we play. We need to bring that to the game on Sunday.”
Defensive-minded Arsenal out to squash scoring-limited Newcastle United
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Defensive-minded Arsenal out to squash scoring-limited Newcastle United
- “We start from our frontline and the amount of pressure and work that they put into any defensive line, any goalkeeper, is tremendous,” Arteta said
- Newcastle (1-1-3, 6 points) have scored only three goals so far in the league amid the saga that eventually saw Isak move to Liverpool
Lola Yamaha ABT look for pace and points under the lights in Jeddah
- After missing points in Miami, team hope for better showing
- Working hard, say drivers Zane Maloney and Lucas di Grassi
JEDDAH: Lola Yamaha ABT are returning to race under the lights of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where they are hoping to add to their points tally for season 12 of the Formula E World Championship this Friday and Saturday.
Situated alongside the Red Sea, the 19-turn, 3-km track features a long start and finish straight, technical chicanes and sweeping turns. The Saudi Arabian doubleheader will once again be at night.
And also host the first pit-boost race of season 12 where very driver must complete a 30-second, 600-kilowatt boost in the pitlane, giving an extra 10 percent of energy.
Last time in Miami, the team showed good pace throughout the weekend where they narrowly missed out on points, with Zane Maloney finishing 11th and Lucas di Grassi 13th, but they are hopeful for Jeddah.
“After a generally positive race in Miami, where we were much more competitive, I’m looking forward to taking to the track again in Jeddah,” di Grassi said.
“Racing at night always presents different challenges, with changes in temperature and lighting.
“With not much time between these races, we’ve been putting in the hours in the sim (simulator) to ensure we are as prepared as possible to maximize on the improvements seen last time out.”
Maloney said: “Although we narrowly missed out on points in Miami, it was a positive weekend for the team with good pace that shows we are moving in the right direction.
“Jeddah is a fast, technical circuit, which will test the team in different ways, particularly with the addition of the first pit boost of the season. However, we’ve been working hard in the short race gap and I’m confident we can be in the mix to score points this weekend.”
“We saw positive steps forward with organization and processes behind the scenes in Miami and this showed with good race pace which we are hoping to translate to points here in Jeddah,” said Mark Preston, team principal of Lola Yamaha ABT.
