\u201cWe will see. We\u2019ll give him every chance again. I think he\u00a0wanted to be here and help the players\u00a0anyway. We felt it was wise not to risk him. He\u2019s such an important player, we need him for the remaining games ahead.\u201d \u2013 Eddie Howe, speaking after full-time to CBS Sports, on Bruno Guimaraes\u2019 chances of starting in Gameweek 24<\/p>\n
BARNES, WISSA + GORDON BENCHED \u2013 GOOD FOR GAMEWEEK 24?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve come to expect a bit of rotation from Howe but it was still a surprising line-up in France, with Joe Willock (\u00a35.0m) and Anthony Elanga (\u00a36.5m) chosen to flank Nick Woltemade (\u00a37.1m). Jacob Ramsey (\u00a35.3m) also started in a central midfield two.<\/p>\n
The sporadically used Willock and Ramsey responded with fine displays, the former nodding in a set play to level the game at 1-1.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Willock has] been waiting for opportunities and today I thought was the right time with his legs and his ability to get us up the pitch to play him, and I thought he did really well. And JJ for me, Jacob Ramsey, that\u2019s his best game for us. I thought he was very, very good with the ball, very good defensively as well, which is a must here. So, yeah, he could be really pleased with himself.\u201d \u2013 Eddie Howe<\/p>\n
Despite the positive performances from the much-changed frontline, we\u2019re still probably going to see Anthony Gordon (\u00a37.3m), Harvey Barnes (\u00a36.1m) and Yoane Wissa (\u00a37.3m) back in the attack at Anfield on Saturday. All three were benched in Paris, coming on in the second half.<\/p>\n
Gordon and Barnes looked lively, twice combining to create very good chances for the latter.<\/p>\n
Howe hinted at further rotation in Gameweek 24, indeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we do have a good squad and I think when you\u2019re playing three times in six days against the level of opposition that we are, we cannot have fatigued players entering the pitch against those opponent. So, we made changes today that we felt we needed to make and we possibly make more for Liverpool because the same applies.\u201d \u2013 Eddie Howe<\/p>\n
Even if Gordon et al do return to the starting XI on Saturday, expect rotation for weeks to come. Newcastle\u2019s need to go through the Champions League play-offs<\/a> means they\u2019re now officially the busiest club in the Premier League until March, playing every midweek from now until Gameweek 29 (and potentially beyond).<\/p>\n Above: Newcastle\u2019s schedule over the coming weeks, shown in comparison to other selected clubs (via @Legomane_FPL<\/a>)<\/p>\n BACK THREE BACK?<\/p>\n Might we see Newcastle in a 3-4-3 on Saturday?<\/p>\n The fit-again Dan Burn (\u00a35.0m) returned to the line-up for the first time in December, operating as part of the back three \u2013 and delivering the Player of the Match award.<\/p>\n Newcastle did very well against the reigning champions, not conceding too many clear-cut chances after PSG\u2019s early missed penalty and subsequent goal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a system we\u2019ve played loads of times and we\u2019ve played played in Marseille, we\u2019ve played in other games this season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just have loads of different ways, formation-wise, we can play, but the principles don\u2019t change. And today was it was a good execution of that. I thought the transitions as we went on, I thought you saw our pace coming into the game.\u201d \u2013 Eddie Howe<\/p>\n \u201cDan never ceases to amaze us. Yes, he was able to run during that time [he was out]. So, he was able to keep his fitness, which is, I think, a key thing, of course. So, his running ability he was confident in, but it\u2019s his lack of training time, really, and all the things that come with that, the match awareness, your positioning, your touch with the ball; I thought he was top class.\u201d \u2013 Eddie Howe on Dan Burn<\/p>\n It\u2019s a set-up we could potentially see Howe employ again at Anfield this weekend. Alternatively, Burn could provide relief for Lewis Hall (\u00a35.3m), who has strung together five successive 90-minute showings in the space of 16 days. Don\u2019t be surprised to see the giant Geordie start at left-back in either Gameweek 24 or the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final next week.<\/p>\n ARSENAL\u2019S GAMEWEEK 23 STARTING XI RESTED<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t too many takeaways from Arsenal\u2019s 3-2 win over Kairat.<\/p>\n For kick-off, this was a bona fide dead rubber, with the Gunners already qualified and their visitors eliminated.<\/p>\n Not only that, but Mikel Arteta also changed his entire starting XI, handing welcome rests to the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes (\u00a36.9m) and Bukayo Saka (\u00a310.0m). Neither made it off the bench.<\/p>\n Declan Rice (\u00a37.4m) was suspended, too, so he had the night off entirely.<\/p>\n The side sent out to face the Kazakh minnows will bear little resemblance to the one Arteta names at Elland Road on Saturday, then.<\/p>\n There were chances for some of the second string to stake their claims but it was difficult to argue that many did. Noni Madueke (\u00a36.8m), so often Saka owners\u2019 bete noire, again lacked end product despite producing some fancy footwork. Viktor Gyokeres (\u00a38.7m), ousted by Gabriel Jesus (\u00a36.4m) in Gameweek 23, had a rollercoaster evening, scoring early but then missing some sitters. Even his assist came from a tap-in he almost screwed wide, with Gabriel Martinelli (\u00a36.7m) following in to make sure at the back post. Another point-blank-range chance went out for a throw-in.<\/p>\n Martinelli was good but arguably the pick of the \u2018B team\u2019 was Kai Havertz (\u00a37.3m), starting his first match in almost a year. He scored Arsenal\u2019s second and supplied the assist for Gyokeres\u2019 early strike, but it\u2019ll likely be a little while before he troubles the Premier League XI. He was taken off at half-time here in a pre-planned change, with Arteta keen to handle him carefully after so long out.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can play in [all positions] I think \u2013 right, left, attacking midfielder or nine. It doesn\u2019t change much for him, depending on the position, the relationships we have around him, and the players that are available as well. We\u2019ll make those decisions. The good thing is that he\u2019s fit, he\u2019s available and he\u2019s going to give us so much.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine, that\u2019s what we planned, 45 minutes [before being substituted]. We wanted to start him as well so he could do all the processes before that in the best possible way, and from now on, we have to make a decision whether he starts or not in these competitions.\u201d \u2013 Mikel Arteta<\/p>\n Also returning to the starting XI for the first time in 2026 was Riccardo Calafiori (\u00a35.6m).<\/p>\n He had a less stellar evening, gifting Kairat an early penalty, looking a little rusty and eventually coming off at half-time with Havertz.<\/p>\n There were no post-match quotes on William Saliba (\u00a36.0m) and Jurrien Timber (\u00a36.3m), who missed out with \u201cniggles\u201d. <\/a>Over to Arteta on Friday for his enlightening pre-match presser\u2026<\/p>\n![\"Bruno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-514-1024x290.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Bruno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pass-Network-Paris-Saint-Germain-1-1-Newcastle-United-2026-01-28-1024x706.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Pass-Network-Arsenal-3-2-Kairat-2026-01-28-1024x706.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-508.png\")
CALAFIORI RETURNS + HAVERTZ STARTS<\/p>\n
![\"price](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG-20250820-WA0000-1-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newcastle United secured a creditable (but ultimately futile) 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Arsenal meanwhile rounded…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398230,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[149213,149214,149215,218,52166,101,149216,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-398229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-bruno-g-injury","tag-bruno-g-latest","tag-bruno-injury","tag-football","tag-saliba-injury","tag-sports","tag-timber-injury","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}