Newcastle United head to the Emirates this evening for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Arsenal and huge changes will be made to the starting line up.
The Magpies quickly return to action after their fifth victory in a row in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur, but tonight will head to the other side of North London to hopefully cause another upset.
Mikel Arteta and his squad have had their focus firmly set on chasing the Premier League title, but have an opportunity to progress to their first cup final since 2018 so it will be no easy outing for Eddie Howe.
Indeed, Newcastle have been in blazing form over the last six weeks, confidently climbing up the table and comfortably progressing to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, a competition they got to the final of back in 2023 against Manchester United.
Both sides have suffered defeat in their most recent opportunities in touching distance of silverware and both will want to bring some silverware back to their clubs, so it will be an intriguing match up to follow over the two legs.
In terms of injuries, Callum Wilson, Emile Krafth and Nick Pope will be unavailable for selection, while Sven Botman will be subjected to a late fitness test to ensure that he is in a good condition to take on the tough fixture after returning to the starting eleven at the weekend.
There is some concern around Anthony Gordon’s fitness ahead of the game, after he suffered a facial injury against Spurs at the weekend, however, the Newcastle boss took to his pre-match press conference on Monday to settle worries.
Howe revealed:
“Anthony was in a bit of discomfort with the cut which was a nasty-looking one,”
“Looking back at the decision, I thought it was a foul, a clear penalty.”
“He came away from the incident with blood on himself. We dusted him down, he went back on the pitch and performed really well for us, I thought he had a really good game.”
However, it is suspensions that will give Howe the biggest headache tonight, Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar will be unavailable to play against the Gunners due to having accrued too many bookings over the season so far.
How could Newcastle line-up against Arsenal?
Nothing but Newcastle predicts that Howe will make two changes from the side that beat Spurs 2-1 on Saturday afternoon, maintaining his classic 4-3-3 formation.
In the defensive set up, it is reported that Martin Dubravka will play his last game in a Newcastle shirt tonight as he is set for a move to the Saudi Pro League next week, so Howe will take full advantage of his availability while Pope continues his recovery to fitness.
We predict that Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento will retain their roles in the fullback positions, whilst Lloyd Kelly returns to the starting eleven alongside Dan Burn in the centre-back partnership.
Indeed, Botman was back in action on Saturday, but after such a long period away from the pitch after suffering an ACL injury, it is likely that Howe will be highly cautious in putting too much pressure on the Dutchman in such a short turnaround.
In the centre of the pitch, Howe will want to keep as much experience and consistency as he can in midfield with Bruno Guimaraes suspended for the clash, so we expect one of his most trusted players Sean Longstaff to return to the trio this evening.
Longstaff will feature alongside Brazilian powerhouse Joelinton and Italian hotshot Sandro Tonali, both of whom have played a huge part in the incredible form seen from the Geordies in recent weeks.
We predict there will be no changes to the attacking threat, as long as Gordon is up to it after his facial injury, meaning that Alexander Isak will lead the line in the centre-forward role, with Jacob Murphy and Gordon in the wider positions.
With that being said, although Arsenal possess a lot of quality and Newcastle are without two of their most influential players, the Magpies have a streak of confidence behind them and a high quality spine to their team that could cause chaos at the Emirates tonight.
