Arsenal v Newcastle predictions: Gunners can open up ten-point lead

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Arsenal v Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 7.45pm Tuesday

Best bet

Arsenal to win & under 3.5 goals
1pt 13-8 BoyleSports

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Team news

Arsenal
Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson are ruled out through injury.

Newcastle
Jonjo Shelvey, Alexander Isak, Paul Dummett, Matt Targett and Emil Krafth are unavailable.

Match preview

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wanted to play down Premier League title talk after his team won 4-2 at Brighton on Saturday but his Gunners' side have shown a championship-winning mentality in recent weeks and can pass a stiff test by beating third-placed Newcastle.

Bookmakers seem to agree with Arteta because Manchester City remain odds-on favourites for the title despite trailing the Gunners by seven points.

However, City's status would come under pressure and possibly disappear if Arsenal beat Newcastle and move ten points clear.

There have been only two seasons when double-figure points advantages have been squandered in the Premier League title race – the 1995-96 season when Newcastle led by 11 points in January before succumbing to Manchester United, and the 1997-98 campaign when United led Arsenal by 11 points before allowing the Gunners to overtake them.

Arsenal going ten points clear would be far from decisive, bearing in mind they have to play City home and away.

But it would heap significant pressure on to Pep Guardiola's side, who have dropped points in two of their last three games and face a tricky trip to Chelsea this week.

Most onlookers accept that a two-team title race is on the cards, although Newcastle will have something to say if they win in north London and leapfrog City into second place.

Eddie Howe's side have lost just one of 17 league games and had reeled off six successive league wins until Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Leeds when they were largely dominant.

Newcastle created plenty of chances against Leeds but they lacked a clinical touch and Howe may consider a change in attack with Callum Wilson in the frame to replace Chris Wood.

Arsenal failed to cope with Wilson when they were beaten 2-0 at St James' Park in May last year, but they will be hopeful of wiping away memories of that disastrous evening which cost them a place in last season's top four.

It would have been easy for Arsenal to over-react after such a massive disappointment, but they were measured in the transfer market, and while Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been excellent additions, it has been last season's squad who have been largely responsible for the massive improvement.

Arsenal's 43-point tally after 16 games is 17 more than at the same stage of last term and it has been a team effort with the Gunners boasting the league's second-best defensive record of 14 goals conceded, and the second-highest goal tally with 40.

Their defence could hold the key to beating Newcastle.

The Magpies have conceded just 11 league goals and are on a run of five successive clean sheets.

However, that sequence could be broken by the Gunners, who are likely to grind out a hard-fought success. After the Newcastle clash, Arsenal face Tottenham away and Manchester United at home and bet365 make them 11-2 to take nine points from those three matches and 25-1 to lose all three.