Aaron Ramsey wants Arsenal to take momentum from Tuesday's European victory into this weekend's Premier League clash with Newcastle United.

Having endured a miserable first half at Stoke City on Saturday, which saw Arsenal trail 3-0 at the break before losing 3-2, the Gunners bounced back in the UEFA Champions League against Galatasaray.

Ramsey's stunning long-range strike helped Arsenal round off its group campaign with a 4-1 win in Istanbul to ensure a positive end to a difficult few days for Arsene Wenger and his side.

With sections of Arsenal fans clearly unhappy after the game at the Britannia Stadium, Arsenal returns to the Emirates Stadium off the back of a win but without Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal (ankle) due to suspension and injury respectively.

While Newcastle will also be full of confidence after ending Chelsea's unbeaten start to the campaign last weekend, Ramsey feels his teammates showed character in midweek that will stand them in good stead.

"It was obviously a disappointing first half [at Stoke], but we did well in the second half and almost got back into it," said Ramsey, who will have his hamstring assessed before Saturday.

"It was important to bounce back from that defeat and we did that.

"Every player here wants to work hard for [Wenger], we proved that again on Tuesday night. He has been under some unfair criticism, but we are all out there, we are in it together. "We wanted to get the result for us and for him."

Newcastle showcased its renewed vigor under Alan Pardew last weekend by inflicting a first defeat of the season on Jose Mourinho's title-chasing Chelsea.

A haul of 19 points from a possible 24 sees the Magpies travel to the capital in good spirits, despite something of an injury crisis that will see goalkeeper Jak Alnwick make his first senior start for the club.

Fellow goalkeepers Tim Krul (ankle) and Rob Elliott (thigh) are both injury absentees along with captain Fabricio Coloccini (calf), Rolando Aarons (hamstring) and Davide Santon (knee), while Steven Taylor and Moussa Sissoko miss out through suspension.

Pardew defended his opposite number Wenger amid continued pressure from sections of Arsenal's support, despite the pair having clashed on the touchline previously during the Newcastle manager's time with West Ham.

"Arsene Wenger has done an unbelievable job at Arsenal and in some ways their stadium should be named after him," he said on Thursday.

"Arsenal has not been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years. The games at St James' Park have been tight and we hope this one is too."

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