Arsenal and Mikel Arteta will be hoping a dominant Carabao Cup victory over Preston can increase confidence levels heading into the weekend clash at Newcastle. Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri and Kai Havertz were all on target at Deepdale with the Gunners sealing a spot in the quarter-finals as a result.
Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes both missed the clash because of differing issues with Arteta hopeful both can make Saturday’s trip to St James’ Park. With a return to Premier League action on the horizon, Arsenal will be keen to avoid a three-game winless run following the draw with Liverpool and previous weekend’s loss to Bournemouth.
Mikel Arteta’s side currently sit in third, four points behind leaders Liverpool, with Man City occupying second place after their last-gasp win over Wolves. All three teams now have challenging fixtures before and after the November international break.
The hard fixtures continue for Arsenal as they make the long trip to St James’ Park for a clash against Crystal Palace. Last season’s fixture at the same venue was engulfed in controversy as the Magpies won 1-0 with it just one of five league defeats the Gunners suffered.