Due to two bookable offenses in the victory over Liverpool, Arsenal's versatile new signing Merino will miss the Gunners' final home game of the season because of suspension, joining Jorginho (chest injury), Gabriel Jesus (knee), Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring), and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) on the sidelines.

On a more positive note, the hamstring-affected trio of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trossard—who was injured in the second half last weekend—all participated in open training on Wednesday, and manager Arteta has not ruled them out for this match.

However, Arteta is likely to take a cautious approach and include some backup options in the starting lineup, with Oleksandr Zinchenko as a strong candidate for the left midfield role, and one of Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling, or Kieran Tierney potentially starting on the left wing.

For Newcastle, Sven Botman was substituted in the 55th minute during their win against Chelsea after a knee injury, and manager Howe has indicated it will be a close call for the Dutch defender to play this weekend.

Arsenal academy product Joe Willock (thigh) faces a similar uncertainty, while Kieran Trippier (calf) is expected to remain unavailable alongside Matt Targett (thigh), Joelinton (knee), and Lewis Hall (foot).

Howe has a direct replacement for Botman in Jamaal Lascelles, who returned to the Premier League squad for the first time this season after his ACL injury, though Emil Krafth is seen as the more probable option in central defense.

Possible Arsenal starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Zinchenko; Saka, Martinelli, Nwaneri

Possible Newcastle United starting lineup:

Pope; Krafth, Schar, Burn; Murphy, Tonali, Guimaraes, Livramento; Barnes, Gordon; Isak