By Lloyd Webb
Playing with established internationals is nothing new for Julio Pleguezuelo - and he’ll get another taste of that on Friday night.
Jack Wilshere is expected to make his return from a nine-month absence, while Tomas Rosicky is sharpening up his match fitness after a two-month lay-off.
Serge Gnabry will also be looking to continue his fine form for Steve Gatting’s side, and under-21s captain Pleguezuelo can’t wait to lead Arsenal out in front of the Emirates Stadium crowd.
"Jack is a great player on the ball. The vision he has on the pitch is amazing. Rosicky and him have the experience from a first-team level and it will help our position. They will know what to do with the ball and it will help us a lot offensively"
Julio Pleguezuelo
“It is always a good feeling,” he told Arsenal.com. "We won’t have a crowd as big as the first team, but we always get great support there. We play there three or four times a season but it is an incredible feeling. It is such a nice pitch and an incredible surface. It is a very nice place to play.
"It is always good to play with first-team players too, because they are at that first-team level and they will help us a lot. It is always good to keep learning. It is more of a reason to enjoy the game.
"Playing alongside them is always very good, and if I’m going to be a captain, I need to help them as much as I can and I’m sure they will do the same thing for me.
"Jack is a great player on the ball. The vision he has on the pitch is amazing. Rosicky and him have the experience from a first-team level and it will help our position. They will know what to do with the ball and it will help us a lot offensively."
Arsenal have beaten Newcastle once this season - 2-1 at St James’ Park - but Pleguezuelo expects a tough game.
“We played them at the beginning of the season and they were a very good side in possession,” he said. “They were strong physically.
“They were very good in possession, and even when they went down to 10 men, we still struggled to keep the ball. It will be a very interesting game.”
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Pleguezuelo
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