Arsenal v Newcastle

Arsenal haven’t had a good record in the league in recent years against the North-East’s biggest club. However, they have had a good spell in the last couple of weeks and their dismantling of Milan in midweek will have their confidence sky high. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been one of the signings of the season and Robin Van Persie’s ability to find a goal out of nowhere is beyond human. You have to think that Wenger’s priority should be signing a decent defensive coach who can teach the defenders at Arsenal how to, you know, defend. When this is sorted Arsenal will challenge for the title once again.

I love, love, LOVE how Newcastle have performed this season. At the beginning of the season ex-pros/pundits alike were calling them relegation fodder (Yet have this view that if you haven’t played at the highest level you know nothing about football, didn’t call that one, did you boys?). Pardew’s men have fed from this negativity and their steady progress has left them challenging for a European spot, which I like to see as a silent ‘Fvck you’ to everybody. Long may it continue!

This is a game where anything but a home win will be greeted with accusations of foul play by the Arsenal manager. As much as I have sympathised for Arsenal this season with their injury crisis, (and it has been a crisis) I really detest listening to Wenger’s lack of class and sportsmanship every time Arsenal fail to win. The Geordie faithful’s second-favourite Alan hasn’t received half as much credit as he deserves, considering his appointment was met with scorn from practically everybody at Newcastle bar the possibly unbalanced owner. Yet look at how his team have performed, especially after selling four KEY players (Andy, Jose, Joey and Kev). Shows what we all know, eh?

My prediction: Arsenal 3 : 2 Newcastle — Arsenal’s attacking players will have too much for a shaky Newcastle defence. However, Newcastle will also score due to Arsenal’s equally shaky defence. Previous games have been quite ill-tempered but don’t expect that this time around due to the sale of Joey ‘I’m proper intelligent, honest!’ Barton. This will be game of the weekend.

These are my picks for this weekends Premier League games.