Saliba on Newcastle battle and Nketiah's form

William Saliba expects a 'tough battle' at St. James' Park when we head to Tyneside on Saturday evening to face Newcastle. 

10 games into the Premier League season, we remain unbeaten and hitting five against Sheffield United last weekend has only heightened the squad's collective belief. 

“Of course, we are happy because we scored five goals and we kept a clean sheet as well," said Saliba, reflecting on the win. "We played well in the second half. We only scored one goal in the first half and we could have done a lot better, which is what the coaches told us at half-time.

"But it was a good game for us and gave us a lot of confidence for the next game against Newcastle."

Our decisive victory at Emirates Stadium was defined by a stellar performance from Eddie Nketiah as he bagged his first Premier League hat-trick, and William was delighted to see his teammate's effort in training be backed up with that performance in front of goal.

“Everyone was so happy for Eddie because he’s a very good guy and a very good player," the Frenchman said. "He always works hard, even in training.

"Even though he hadn't started the last two games, it didn't matter. He always gives his life when he does play."

Last season saw us secure a 2-0 win over the Magpies away from home but for William, a repeat result this time around will demand considerable effort. 

“We know St. James’ Park is a really tough place to play," he added. "We saw in the Champions League against PSG that Newcastle are so good at home because they have such a good atmosphere.

"It’s a really physical team and they are so good with the ball as well, so we expect a tough battle.”

Looking ahead to the season as a whole, our French defender is striving to build on last season's experience in order to succeed. 

“It’s all about the team to try to win everything we can. We are stronger, we have more experience so I hope we give our best to every competition.”