Arsenal will aim to turn things around and advance to the Carabao Cup final when they travel to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United in the semi-final second leg on Wednesday evening.
The Gunners were beaten 2-0 at the Emirates in the first leg last month, with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon scoring in either half. It took them some time to recover from the result, but they have picked up form of late. Mikel Arteta’s men have won their last four matches, including a 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
This should give Arsenal a lot of confidence heading into this crucial cup tie against Newcastle United, who were beaten 2-1 by Fulham in the Premier League last weekend.
Arsenal Team News
Ben White is on the cusp of making his long-awaited comeback from knee surgery, but Wednesday’s game may come too soon for the versatile defender. Takehiro Tomiyasu is making gradual progress in his recovery from a long-term knee injury, but his comeback date remains unknown.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka remain long-term absentees for Arsenal.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Newcastle United (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
David Raya made a couple of vital saves against Man City, although he would have loved to keep a clean sheet on Sunday. He is set to start in goal again for the Gunners.
Defence
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba should continue their strong partnership at the back in the Arsenal lineup. They have to be at their best to contain an in-form Alexander Isak.
Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly were excellent as full-backs against Man City. Lewis-Skelly, in particular, was fantastic and deserves to keep his place at left-back. The Arsenal back four have to be resolute and remain focused throughout the game to keep a clean sheet against a fiery Newcastle attack.
Midfield
Arsenal midfielders Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard dominated Man City for large parts of the game. With Partey acting as an anchor, Rice and Odegaard will try to control the game and unlock the rigid Newcastle rearguard.
Jorginho and Mikel Merino have to again be content with spots on the bench.
Attack
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli ran the Man City defence ragged with their skill, pace and directness. The duo will try to do something similar from wide areas and inflict pain on the Magpies.
Kai Havertz should lead the Arsenal attack again, hoping to get on the scoresheet after scoring in the 5-1 win over Man City.
Teenage prodigy Ethan Nwaneri made a telling impact off the bench, impressing with his movement and dribbling whilst scoring a spectacular long-ranger on Sunday. He could be involved at some point in the game.
