Thomas Partey is set to start at left-back again, with William Saliba, Gabriel, and Jurien Timber forming the rest of the back four for Arsenal at St James’ Park.
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta talked about Ben White’s fitness, opting to maintain the same defensive lineup that drew 2-2 with Liverpool in their previous match.
“We’re still uncertain about Ben,” Arteta mentioned earlier this week. “He couldn’t train, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
White, who recently returned from a month-long injury, had played in the last three matches with plans to rest for the game against Preston in order to be fit for the encounter with Newcastle.
However, Arteta is being cautious regarding White’s latest injury, allowing Partey to take his place in defense while White remains on the bench. This decision is reportedly a precaution ahead of the Champions League match against Inter Milan.
“Ben didn’t quite make it back because he only participated in half a training session yesterday,” the Arsenal manager told TNT Sports. “This is the third time he’s faced a minor issue, so we needed to be careful.”
