Laurent Koscielny will not play vs. Newcastle

Arsenal will indeed be without defender Laurent Koscielny for Saturday's match against Newcastle, as the Frenchman is still being hampered by the calf injury he suffered during the Dec. 3 contest against Southampton.

In the absence of the club's best defender, manager Arsene Wenger has opted to start Mathieu Debuchy in central defense, meaning teenager Hector Bellerin will once again get the nod in Debuchy's natural position at right-back.