TRANSFER UPDATE:For their matchup with Arsenal, Newcastle United gave injury boosts to Alexander Isak and Joe Willock.

Isak suffered a groin injury last month and had to leave the Magpies’ 3-1 victory against Aston Villa. Since then, he has missed all three of the team’s games.

Willock, on the other hand, has struggled with injury all season long, playing just 301 minutes in six outings across all competitions.

After missing the start of the season due to a hamstring injury, the former Arsenal midfielder is nearing the end of his recuperation from an Achilles issue that has kept him out since mid-November.

Both of the Newcastle players have participated in training this week, according to Howe, and they will be evaluated before their trip to North London on Saturday.

It’s been nice to see them back on the grass after their week of training, Howe told reporters at a press conference on Friday.

“Joe has been with us for a while, but he is a vital member of the team. He is a well regarded part of the team, so it has been wonderful to have him back among the group. I’m quite happy that he had this week.

“Again, Alex is a very significant participant in this. We’re pleased with both players because he’s trained so skillfully.

“We’ll have to wait and see – we’ve one more training session – but we’ve been pleased with their progress.”

Fabian Schar, a defender who left the field clutching, has also trained this week and could play against the Gunners.

The previous time Newcastle played Arsenal, they won 1-0 at home in November, earning maximum points. According to Howe, his Magpies team needs to perform at its peak once more to have a chance against their title-chasing rivals.

“We will need to replicate close to our best performance in order to get something from the game,” explained Howe. “In recent seasons, we’ve played some pretty close games versus Arsenal that have been really good.

We put on a fairly valiant show at the Emirates last season. We will need to step up our defense from where it has been in recent weeks. That presents our challenge.

This season, Arsenal has excelled in every facet of the game and is statistically one of the best.