Arsenal and Newcastle Team News: Konsa Starts, Saliba Sits Out

Arsenal’s return to their winning lineup and Newcastle’s four changes are the main selection calls in Saturday’s two 3pm GMT Premier League fixtures. Reigning champions Arsenal host Hull City, while Fulham welcome Newcastle United at Craven Cottage. The team news points to two different responses: Arsenal have restored the side that beat Liverpool, while Newcastle have made a broader adjustment after Monday’s defeat by Everton. Line-ups don’t settle either match, of course, but they do show how the managers are choosing to respond to recent results, fitness concerns and the demands of a busy schedule.

Arsenal restore their winning side

Mikel Arteta has returned to the team that beat Liverpool last weekend after making changes for the Champions League. That decision gives Arsenal continuity in a fixture where they’ll be expected to impose themselves, and it suggests Arteta is content to trust the group that produced the previous league win. A familiar starting side can help preserve established roles and combinations, though the match itself will determine whether that continuity translates into control.

Ezri Konsa starts after a brief midweek fitness concern. His inclusion gives the defence a familiar option in the starting group, but the concern is a reminder that selection is also shaped by how players come through the week. Arsenal haven’t had to leave him out, and the line-up indicates Arteta considers him ready to feature.

William Saliba is absent from the squad. Arteta said the defender will get playing time with the under-21s this weekend, with the aim of being fully fit for the international break. The explanation makes the absence part of a return-to-fitness plan rather than a mystery for supporters to interpret. Minutes with the under-21s should give Saliba a chance to build match fitness, although the manager’s stated target remains the break rather than this fixture. That’s a measured decision: availability on the team sheet isn’t the same as readiness for a full match.

🎙️ On William Saliba:

💬 "He needs some minutes. Obviously, the Champions League allows you to bring more players into the bench, but we believe that it’s the best thing to do, to play some minutes on the weekend with under-21s and then be fully fit for the international break."

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 7, 2026

Hull make two changes. Mohamed Belloumi is unavailable, while Ryan Giles drops to the bench; Lucas Gourna-Douath and Mohamed-Ali Cho come into the starting side. Those changes give Hull different personnel across the team, though the selection alone doesn’t tell us how their roles will differ once play begins. Giles remains among the substitutes, leaving Hull with an option if the match requires a change later. Belloumi, by contrast, isn’t available for this fixture.

Newcastle shuffle for Fulham trip

Fulham name an unchanged team at Craven Cottage, keeping the same starting group for this match. Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle responds to Monday’s defeat by Everton with four alterations: Yoane Wissa, Malick Thiaw, Jacob Murphy and Sean Steur start, while Fabian Schar, Joe Willock and Anthony Elanga are among the players benched. The number of changes makes Newcastle’s selection the clearest response to the recent result, even if it doesn’t reveal whether Jaissle is changing the team’s approach or simply refreshing his choices.

Four changes give Newcastle several new combinations to settle into. That can create opportunity, but it also asks players to find their rhythm together in a match situation. Wissa, Thiaw, Murphy and Steur now have starting roles, while the presence of Schar, Willock and Elanga on the bench gives Jaissle experienced alternatives as the game develops. Here’s the thing: a reshuffle is a statement of intent only if the team’s performance backs it up.

Joelinton misses out through injury. Mathias Fernandez-Pardo, Lewis Miley and Tino Livramento return from illness or injury and are named among the substitutes. Their inclusion gives Newcastle more options during the match, though being named on the bench doesn’t establish how much time any of them will get. For a side making four changes, that depth could matter if the match demands further adjustments. And yet, selection is only the opening calculation.

Starting line-ups

Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Guimaraes, Odegaard, Madueke, Havertz, Tzolis.

Subs: Arrizabalaga, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Eze, Gyokeres, Merino, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly.

Hull City XI: Tzolakis, Coyle, Ajayi, Egan, Mendy, Stroud, Slater, Iroegbunam, Gourna-Douath, McBurnie, Cho.

Subs: Butland, Giles, Thomas, Gelhardt, Hjerto-Dahl, Norton-Cuffy, Herrington, Mouzakitis, Vaz.

Fulham XI: Leno, Castagne, Affengruber, Bassey, Robinson, Berge, Charles, Bobb, King, Iwobi, Garcia.

Subs: Lecomte, Tete, Andersen, Palacios, Muniz, Kevin, Larsson, Angel, Sessegnon.

Newcastle United XI: Hornicek, Dedic, Thiaw, Burn, Hall, Steur, Gonzalez, Murphy, Wissa, Barnes, Osula.

Subs: Pope, Livramento, Botman, Schar, Toure, Elanga, Fernandez-Pardo, Willock, Miley.

What the team news could mean

For Arsenal, restoring the winning side makes the selection story relatively straightforward: Arteta is backing a group that delivered a recent league result, while managing Saliba’s return through a separate route. This is more significant than it looks. The decision puts the emphasis on continuity in the first team and on building fitness for a player who isn’t yet included in the matchday squad.

Newcastle’s changes make their starting line-up harder to read in advance. If you’re working in this space, the practical question is whether the new combination can respond to the Everton defeat without losing fluency. Fulham’s unchanged selection offers a steady reference point, but the team sheet can’t show how either side will adapt to the other once the match starts. The contest on the pitch will have to answer that.

One thing to watch: whether the substitutes become part of the story. Newcastle have several returning players available from the bench, while Arsenal and Hull also have named options who could alter the match later. The starting eleven sets the opening terms. Changes, fitness and performance will shape what follows. Plenty still unresolved.

Follow the matches

The Live Gameweek page in the FPL Toolkit section tracks scores, defensive contribution points and leading players for expected goals as the fixtures unfold. That gives readers a way to follow both the match results and selected performance measures while the games are in progress. What this means for you is a live reference point as the team selections turn into on-pitch events, with scores and player metrics updating the picture.

The Match Centre also offers fixture statistics, heatmaps and rolling expected-goals graphs. Those tools can help put individual moments into context as a match develops, though the numbers still need to be read alongside what’s happening on the pitch. Some features are free, with full access available to Chief Scout Members.