Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares may have dropped a major hint on his side's starting XI for Monday night's Premier League clash against Newcastle United.
The north Londoners must win if they want to regain fourth spot from Tottenham Hotspur after the Lillywhites secured a 1-0 victory against Burnley on Sunday afternoon. However, manager Mikel Arteta has a number of injury concerns ahead of the match at St. James' Park, with Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney still sidelined whilst defensive duo Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes are both doubts.
White hasn't played a single minute since last month's 3-1 win against Manchester United, suffering from a hamstring issue that kept him out of wins against West Ham and Leeds before he watched from the bench as the Gunners lost 3-0 to Spurs last week. Gabriel was substituted after picking up a knock during the defeat to Antonio Conte and Co, with neither centre-back spotted in the club's recent training ground pictures at their London Colney base.
Read more: Full Arsenal squad revealed for Newcastle clash as Mikel Arteta faces major Gabriel decision
Fellow centre-back Rob Holding is also suspended for tonight's trip to Tyneside after the former Bolton man received a red card in N17, meaning Japanese fullback Takehiro Tomiyasu may have to be called upon to play in central defence. Now, left-back Tavares has posted a matchday graphic ahead of this evening's clash, something that may hint the Portuguese youngster is in-line for a starting berth.
Tavares had started four games in a row before Arteta decided to bench him for the aforementioned win over Leeds, with fellow Portuguese defender Cedric Soares taking his place. The 22-year-old will hope that he is back today to help his side secure a crucial all three points against the Magpies.
