Newcastle could leapfrog Arsenal in the Premier League table with victory at the Emirates on Sunday – and secure their top five spot
Newcastle legend Shay Given reckons the Toon will eclipse Arsenal’s season if they qualify for the Champions League. But after beating the Gunners three times already this season to crank up one of the Premier League’s growing rivalries even further, the former Republic of Ireland keeper has warned Eddie Howe’s men that their hopes of taking a giant step towards a top-five finish will really be put to the test at the Emirates.
Newcastle beat Arsenal twice in the Carabao Cup semi-finals before going on to beat Liverpool at Wembley to lift the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years.
And Given said: “If Newcastle now qualify for the Champions League, there’s no question that they will have had a better season than Arsenal.
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“I know the Champions League is important for clubs and Arsenal came so close to reaching the final, but there are so few trophies for clubs to win that if you get your hands on one then it’s been a great year.
“Newcastle did it the hard way, beating Arsenal and then Liverpool – and don’t forget that they also knocked out Chelsea.
“It feels like the club is only going in one direction and if they can also qualify for the Champions League then it will be the best season ever seen at St James’ Park, certainly in my lifetime.
“I’m told the so-called Supercomputer rates their chances at more than 93 percent or something like that – but we all know that computers can go wrong.
“Eddie Howe will be telling his players that the moment you take football for granted is usually when it comes back to bite you. And he will know that Arsenal will want to sign off in front of their own fans with a win.
“Mikel Arteta will want his team to take the end-of-season lap of honour with three more points on the board – and he will remind his players that they still have work to do to finish second.”
There is no love lost between the two clubs – and Given views it as a sign of Newcastle’s emergence into a Premier League force that Arteta and his players will want to taste Geordie disappointment.
Toon will spend again in the summer but Howe’s budget will be defined by which European competition he’s in next season. And so could the future of Alexander Isak, a striker that Arteta covets.
Given said: “A bit of needle has started to creep into games between the two teams and I think that shows that Newcastle have started to be seen as a new threat to Arsenal and the rest of the top clubs.
“It all started with a goalless draw at the Emirates a couple of years ago when Arteta was critical of Eddie Howe’s tactics.
“Mikel wasn’t happy after the draw at Liverpool this week – and I’m sure his team-talk will be a bit spiky.
“If Newcastle make it into the Champions League then that gives them greater scope to strengthen the squad – and it would also help them keep the top players they already have.
“It would be unfair to say Isak has been the missing piece of the jigsaw for Arsenal this season because he’s a Newcastle player.
“But what I do believe is that if Arteta had been able to call on a striker with the same kind of quality then they would definitely be a lot closer to Liverpool.
“If they’d had a Thierry Henry, an Ian Wright, a Robin van Persie or just a fox-in-the-box to be there when the ball goes across the six-yard box then they would have won a lot more games.”
Shay Given is a brand ambassador for sports betting platform CopyBet.
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