You decide: Eddie Howe and Mikel Arteta’s big decision to advance the Newcastle United vs Arsenal Premier League showdown

The Magpies themselves may have had challenging ambitions this season, but they have endured a campaign start that was slower than they liked.

Eddie Howe men hope to set fire to a campaign against gunners.

They will win four of the last five St James Park meetings in all competitions, backed by a recent good home record against Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arsenal is keen to change this and continues what would have been a strong start to the season otherwise, scoring 10 points from the opening of five games and sitting second in goal difference before weekend action.

Prior to the game, we’ll look at the dilemma each manager may face before the two teams lock the horn.

Black and white fans at St. James Park on Sunday afternoon are hoping winger Anthony Gordon, who will be returning from the suspension, will play on the front foot, but may insist on setting it up to irritate Arsenal instead.

Nick Pope appears to be the uncontested number one for Newcastle, which began all five Premier League matches and the UEFA Champions League defeat to Barcelona.

It seems unlikely that Howe will change this division for such a big game, but he has something like a playing card in the form of former Arsenal stopper Aaron Ramsdale, who made his first start for Magpies in a comprehensive 4-1 victory at Bradford City in the League Cup.

Are Newcastle bosses surprised? And could the Lone Southampton man be able to haunt his previous club?

Arsenal boasts a strong defense that has been violated only twice so far this season despite a brief injury to William Saliba, at the heart of the backline.

With the Frenchman back now, he is expected to partner with Gabriel at centre back with Ricardo Carafioli stationed on the left.

On the other side, there is no ostensibly a reason to drive Julian wood out of his position. The dynamic Dutch have not made a mistake so far this season.

However, Ben White has returned from his injury, but it could be an option if the Gunners boss wants to spin, especially considering that White has along with Saka on the right side of the pitch.

Mikel Merino, who started out in the midst of Declan Rice’s match for both Martin Zvimendi and Mikel Merino, is probably seen as lacking the same creativity as the other players on the team.

Failing to win either match simply strengthens scrutiny and moves to the ground where the gunners lost on the final three visits in all competitions – and when they fail to score, all eyes will once again be centred around the trio Arteta.

“He played the game we had expected, he did well, he feels good and I think he’ll train for the next few days,” Arteta said of Saka at a pre-match press conference.

Viktor Gyoker is started up ahead of time, so the main question is who will be deployed to the left of the attack.

Following the slow start of the campaign, Gabriel Martinelli recently scored from the bench against Athletic Club and City, respectively, two times each.

Similarly, Leandro Trossard provided an assist against Nottingham Forest, and scored against Port Vale in Europe. All three contributions came as alternatives.

Both players hope to have a similar impact from their start with Newcastle, but it appears they will have a chance.

Eze is also the option that launched the victory in Forest, offering Gyoker assists and a trip to Bilbao.

A strong mid-week victory through Bradford was a much-needed tonic for the Newcastle side, who would otherwise have been surprised by the goal.

But this is just one of three goals Newcastle has scored collectively in the league so far. Bruno Guimares and William Osla scored other points.

Encouraged for Howe, Osula could have bagged Bradford twice, potentially sacrificing Woltemade to potentially bet on the starting spot claim against Arsenal.

“He (Osula) gave a great performance on Wednesday – two great goals,” Howe said at his latest news conference. “And maybe there was more.”