Arsenal face a huge Premier League clash against Newcastle this weekend with the result likely to prove critical in their title bid against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's men securing a victory against Leeds on Saturday afternoon has placed Arsenal four points off the top and therefore a win on Tyneside is an absolute must.
The Gunners ended their four-game winless run earlier this week by beating London rivals Chelsea 3-1 and another three points would keep the title race alive. To do that, Mikel Arteta's men must win at St James Park when the pressure is firmly on, something they failed to do last season, which saw them miss out on a Champions League qualification spot.
Eddie Howe's side are in fine form with just one defeat in their last nine matches as they push for a spot in the top four. The Gunners have struggled defensively without William Saliba and with the Magpies having scored 13 goals in their last three games, it could be a difficult afternoon for Arsenal.
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With that said, Arteta will have undoubtedly been working his players hard at London Colney this week and here are four things spotted by football.london in Arsenal training.
Gabriel absence
As Mikel Arteta admitted in his Friday press conference, Gabriel Magalhaes will be monitored by the hour ahead of the weekend clash against Newcastle.
Arteta said: "We will have to see tomorrow how he is, but yeah he could not finish the game so that was a big sign for us. We’ll have to see how he is tomorrow."
The Brazilian could still feature at St James Park, but he was not spotted in any of the training images posted by the club on Saturday from Friday's session after suffering an ankle injury against Chelsea.
Jorginho hint
Mikel Arteta made three changes to his team ahead of taking on Chelsea, with Thomas Partey removed from the starting XI for Jorginho. Against his former club, the Italian delivered an impressive performance and a training exercise hints that he could retain his place.
In an image showing him and Partey at the forefront, with Jorginho wearing a bib, Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli are also spotted wearing bibs. Martinelli dropped to the bench earlier this week but an immediate recall is likely and with Xhaka also donning a bib, that could show the players that will be starting.
Eddie Nketiah, who has not started in months, is also not wearing one which could hint that Jorginho is starting once again at the expense of Partey.
All smiles
Despite their recent form and the huge pressure that is undoubtedly on them, Arsenal's stars were full of smiles in training this week.
Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Arteta, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah are all snapped with huge grins on their faces. Amid their Premier League title battle, it is certainly important that the players continue to enjoy their football as that was what got them in this position in the first place.
Odegaard's new best mate
Gabriel Martinelli and Fabio Vieira are known to be close, while Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are also great friends and now Martin Odegaard's best mate in the squad could have been revealed.
In training, the skipper was captured with his arms around Eddie Nketiah, seemingly trapping him in a huge bear hug.
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