100 Consecutive Seasons in the Top Division: The story of all 100 seasons. Latest episode: 1987/8: faith in Arsenal is finally rewarded
By Tony Attwood
Between 2 March 2012 and 28 September 2025, Arsenal and Newcastle played each other an astonishing 29 times. Arsenal won 22 of those games. The only problem with that rather wonderful statistic is that 18 of those victories came in the first 19 matches of the series. If we look at just the last 10 games starting in May 2022, we can only find four Arsnal victories, five Newcastle victories and a draw.
But we do have a tiny amount of relief amidst this latter gloom. The last two games have been won by Arsenal: 1-0 at home on 18 May 2025, and and 2-1 away on 8 September 2025. So maybe there is a chance after all!
According to the Metro the Arsenal team is likely to be
Raya
White Saliba Gabriel Calafiori
Rice Zubimendi Odegaard
Madueke Havertz Eze
The Standard comes in with
Raya;
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie;
Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke,
Odegaard, Eze; Havertz
The Racing Post, which we rarely mention because I sometimes can’t find the football news amid all the racing stuff, offer
Raya;
White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie;
Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke,
Odegaard, Eze; Havertz.
Which of course is the same as the Standard’s suggestion, but I mention the Post because they kindly also give us their list of possible substitutes: Gyokeres, Mosquera, Martinelli, Trossard, Norgaard, Saka, Lewis-Skelly, and Jesus.
Manchester City are playing Southampton today in the League Cup, so a win will take Arsenal back to the top of the league. But also of note is that the two clubs are absolutely equal on points and goal difference. It is only the fact that ManC have scored three more and let in three more than Arsenal that gets them that top position.
Only once in the past 13 games between the two clubs playing today has either side scored more than two goals – that was in Arsenal’s 4-1 win in the 2023/24 season. But I think that two goal barrier could do with a bit of battering in today’s game. Let’s hope so.
Earlier commentaries on this game….
- Arsenal v Newcastle: injuries and how clubs can sink as well as rise
- Arsenal v Newcastle: the referee and the result as predicted by past matches
- Arsenal v Newcastle: a chance for a resounding victory
Pope foul on Gyokeres was an obvious red card – against any other team but Arsenal. Apart from this big decision, he was just like Taylor last week, in tilting the game more subtly, in the award or non-award of free-kicks for more minor incidents.
Remember last year’s sendings-off for Gabriel and Saliba? – clear evidence of different standards of applying the rules.
Interesting that Pope escaped another assault on Gyokered, when the obvious penalty was cancelled because he had got a finger-tip on the ball at the same time?
Arsenal have performed miracles to have done so well against such oppostion – it’s at least 12 men on the majority of occasions.
Pope assault on Gyokeres in the away match at Newcastle early in the season
John
The common denominator in Saliba and Pope (×2)? Jarred Gillett…
On an Arsenal corner kick in the 2nd half, burn picked up the ball near the corner and waled to the penalty spot to complain to the ref. Not a word or warning or yellow card for time wasting. Rest assured an Arsenal player would have been booked. Gyokeres this week, Havertz the last, it’s always the same. and the VAR which was instituted to get these calls right never overturn a call when it’s Arsenal. One Man U supporting friend, and another who supports Villa have told me they see the bias and it’s quite obvious. They hate our Club but admit the refs are seemingly bent. They don’t roll their eyes anymore when I complain about a call. The Villa supporter thinks his club is as abused as Arsenal and the United supporter wants “Fergie Time” to be be reinstated, lol.