ANOTHER round of Premier League fixtures, and another clash featuring title contenders.

This time it is Arsenal’s visit to Newcastle United – a match that could spark fiery scenes between two clubs desperate to prove their mettle and improve on last season’s finishes.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners came in for some flak following their draw with Manchester City last weekend.

Eze is off the mark for the Gunners and will now hope to solidify his place in the side. — ReutersBy all accounts, it was a decent result against a side that had won the league title four years in a row before Liverpool’s triumph in May.

It was also against a City unit quickly finding its feet, with Erling Haaland back to his imperious best.

The Gunners’ critics harped on City’s defensive tactics, which they believe Arsenal should have exploited more, and therefore given themselves a better chance of winning the top-billing encounter at the Emirates.

Arteta did his part to defend their approach to that game but might tweak the plan at St James’ Park.

Both Arsenal and Newcastle progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after midweek victories.

The results over Port Vale and Bradford City were expected and comfortable – Arsenal 2-0 winners and the Magpies triumphant with a 4-1 scoreline.

For the Gunners, Eberechi Eze got his first goal for the London side following his move from West Ham.

Arsenal agreed to a £60mil fee for the attacking midfielder-cum-winger, and he will be expected to deliver big-time now that he is settling in rather nicely.

And while Arteta, by and large, fielded a second-string outfit for the Carabao match, he did get William Saliba and Bukayo Saka to start at Port Vale.

Both are coming off injury layoffs and could use more time on the pitch to regain match fitness.

For the Spanish coach, it all went according to plan in midweek – and now onto the next one: Newcastle.

Needless to say, the Magpies will be a different proposition, and as such, Arteta will recall his senior players, keen to keep in touch with Liverpool at the top of the league standings.

The second-placed Gunners trail the champions by five points – and that’s after just five games.

With this, Arsenal know they cannot afford to drop points, not with so much hype coming from so many pressure points – least of all their fans, who have watched Arteta take them to runners-up in the last three seasons and are now bent on capturing a first league title in more than two decades.

Newcastle will want to build on their Carabao Cup win last season, but they have had a mediocre start to the new campaign.

They’re 13th in the standings with six points from the first five matches, and a victory over Arsenal would certainly lift the mood at the club and help them get over losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool on transfer deadline day.

Buoyant voices and loads of encouragement from all quarters should go some way to propelling Eddie Howe’s Magpies to three points.

The coach would be aware that defeat against the Gunners could leave them within touching distance of the relegation zone.

A win could lift them into the top half of the table and help get them to where they want to be – challenging for the title.

Skipper Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali have been their standouts so far this campaign.

Against Arsenal, these two will have to be at the top of their game for the hosts to take anything from the match.

Anthony Gordon and new centre- forward Nick Woltemade, the young German who has impressed, will also be expected to make an impact.

Goalkeeper Nick Pope could also have a say in how things turn out, just as he had in many of Newcastle’s performances.

It should be a cracking fixture, if both sides are allowed to roam freely – as many expect they will.

They’ll both be driven by motivation to improve on their showings thus far, all the while keeping an eye on the top slot of the league: where they themselves want to be, or at least believe that they should be.