After weeks of holiday, followed by an intense preseason campaign, Unai Emery and his players return to competitive action this weekend against Newcastle United at St James' Park.
A fantastic transfer window slammed shut earlier this week and with a total of six senior additions, with William Saliba going back out on loan, Emery now has a far better squad to choose from. With the only notable sales being that of midfielder Alex Iwobi and defender Laurent Koscielny, many fans believe this has been the club's best window for a long time.
The talking stops now though as the action begins with an opening three points the only thing on the horizon. With long term absentees Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding still out and now Dinos Mavropanos joining them, new signing David Luiz or the returning Calum Chambers could start alongside Sokratis in central defence. The press continued to report that Skhodran Mustafi was for sale all summer long, and it is believed that Emery just doesn't rate him so it's unlikely that the German will start against the Magpies.
Further forward, there are concerns over Alex Lacazette and new man Nico Pepe as both aren't at full match fitness. Added to these two, Emery has said that although they aren't out of contention, he would like to go with those that are 100% so that means the likes of Lucas Torreira (late back to preseason) could also miss out. It was reported yesterday that Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac will both miss Sunday's trip due to security reasons so the likes of Dani Ceballos and Matteo Guendouzi are now very likely to come into the midfield alongside the increasingly important Granit Xhaka. Ceballos at ten with Guendouzi and Xhaka deeper could be exactly what the game needs; high intensity, and unwavering commitment.
Hosts Newcastle have endured yet another summer of change. Steve Bruce is now at the helm but with a new record signing up top and the returning Andy Carroll back among the ranks there is some optimism in the air. With defensive reinforcements also arriving on deadline day, Bruce now has a decent squad to work with but very little chemistry to talk of as so many are still being integrated into the squad. It will be tough for the hosts but with the home crowd and the renewed optimism that a new season brings, Emery's men will be up against it from the off.
So often, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal started a new season with a disappointing draw or loss but Emery's Arsenal (this time around), with new faces and a more solid spine, need the full three points. With forward Pierre-Emerick sharing the league's Golden Boot in his first full season last time out, he'll be more hungrier than ever to bag goals, goals and more goals this time around. One or two at St James' Park would be a great start.
Expected lineup:
GK: Bernd Leno
RB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
CB: Sokratis
CB: Calum Chambers
LB: Nacho Monreal
CM: Dani Ceballos
CM: Granit Xhaka
RW: Henrikh Mkhitaryan
CAM: Mesut Ozil
LW: Reiss Nelson
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Prediction: 2-0 to Arsenal with Aubameyang kicking off his season's tally.
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