ARSENAL FAVOURITES FOR FA CUP CLASH

Arsenal are the reigning FA Cup champions and they will start the defence of the title they won last season with an home game with Newcastle United on Saturday evening. The Gunners won a record 14th FA Cup title last season by beating London rivals Chelsea 2-1 in their final clash at the Wembley Stadium.

Chelsea had to finish the game with ten men after Croatian international Mateo Kovacic was dismissed for two yellow cards. Gabonese international hit man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the star of the game after he bagged a brace against the Blues. Arsenal have two more titles than their nearest challengers Manchester United who have won 12 titles in the history of the competition.

The FA Cup champions want to retain the trophy as pointed out by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Newcastle United game in the third round of the competition this season. Arsenal are favourites to seal a fourth round berth ahead of Newcastle United according to the soccer betting odds from various soccer betting sites. The Gunners have been able to recover from a poor run of seven winless games in the Premier League to win the last three games in the league. Arsenal can make it four wins on the bounce with a victory over the Magpies who are the underdogs as per the soccer betting odds from soccer betting sites worldwide.
Ahead of the FA Cup third round encounter with the Magpies, the Gunners have been boosted by the return of new signing Thomas Partey who has barely played for his new team because of a thigh injury. He has suffered a thigh injury twice this season. Arsenal will also welcome back another signing in Gabriel Magalhaes as the player has now recovered from Covid-19. The centre back tested positive for the virus but he has now recovered to take his place in the Arsenal squad.