Newcastle's starting 11 vs Arsenal? - Why I'm confident this will be Eddie Howe's XI

Eddie Howe has used his squad well over the past week, with Newcastle taking on Barcelona, Bournemouth and Bradford across the Champions League, Premier League and Carabao Cup.

After a full strength side took on Barca, we saw seven changes at Bournemouth and another seven changes on Wednesday night as we saw off the Bantams 4-1.

On Sunday, we're back in Premier League action and it feels to me like our starting XI is taking shape for the 4.30pm kick-off, providing we don't get any surprise injury news from Eddie Howe tomorrow morning.

Here is how we see us lining up, position by position:

GK: Nick Pope - With four clean sheets in five league games so far, he's been solid and won't drop out of the side just yet, even if Ramsdale is superior with his feet.

RB: Kieran Trippier - Hasn't started either of our last two games, but I expect him to come back in here. In time, we'll see Livramento and Hall as our two full-backs, but the latter won't start three games in a week as he steps up his return from several months out.

RCB: Malick Thiaw - With Schar still missing due to concussion, I think Thiaw will keep his place. Botman has been superb, but he tends to play on the left and seems less likely to start three games in a week after having his minutes managed for much of 2025.

LCB: Dan Burn - Rested in midweek and will come back in for this one after a strong start to the season. Thiaw and Botman may be our future pairing, but Burn hasn't put a foot wrong and is a big leader in the group.

LB: Tino Livramento - Much like Botman, I'm not sure Hall starts three games in a week, especially when the young left-back is still building back from a long-term injury. Against Bukayo Saka, Livramento could be a smart pick, keeping much of our settled defence together after four clean sheets in five.

RCM: Bruno Guimaraes - One of the first names on the team sheet who looked a cut above the rest on Wednesday night. Our captain will return here after a rest in our last league outing.

CM: Sandro Tonali - Had a night off against Bradford in midweek but will be back here at the base of our midfield. His tenacity, energy and technical quality will be key, on and off the ball.

LCM: Joelinton - Like Bruno, he benefited from having the day off at Bournemouth, looking refreshed and sharp as he scored two against Bradford. He often turns up for big battles like this and we'll need the Brazilian at his best here!

RW: Jacob Murphy - His achilles issue is being managed, shown by his rest in midweek, and we think he'll get the nod over Elanga again. He's building a relationship with Woltemade and will hopefully assist the big German once again.

ST: Nick Woltemade - Delivered a classy late cameo against Bradford and scored in his one and only start at St James' Park so far with that brilliant header against Wolves.

LW: Anthony Gordon - Back from a ban after missing our last three league games and our best left winger. With Barnes out of form and Gordon looking sharp on Wednesday, I'm sure the latter will start again.