Bidding to advance to the Carabao Cup final in March, Newcastle United cross swords with Arsenal in the semi-final second leg at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening.
The Magpies hold a 2-0 lead over the Gunners from the first leg thanks to strikes from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at the Emirates Stadium in January. At home, Eddie Howe’s men have been fantastic this season until the recent games. They have lost back-to-back Premier League home games to Bournemouth and Fulham, respectively.
On the contrary, the Gunners have gained some momentum of late with five wins from the last six games across all competitions since being ousted from the FA Cup third round by Manchester United. They smashed Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday and will be high in confidence heading into the game against Newcastle.
That said, let us take a look at the key battles that could define the outcome of this mouthwatering cup tie.
#Gabriel Martinelli vs Lewis Hall
Gabriel Martinelli is expected to start on the right flank in Arsenal’s 4-3-3 formation. He has deputised for the injured Bukayo Saka on the right and has delivered some eye-catching displays of late, including in the 5-1 win over Man City.
Standing in the path of the Brazilian will be Lewis Hall. The youngster has cemented his spot at left-back this season following consistent displays, impacting Newcastle’s play at both ends of the pitch. The English talent is an attacking full-back and likes to venture forward in a bid to contribute to his team’s attacks.
However, this could be good news for Martinelli as he will look to exploit the space left behind by Hall. So, if Hall intends to contain the in-form Arsenal winger, he might have to curb his attacking instincts and try to stay as much compact as possible.
#Alexander Isak vs Arsenal centre-backs
Alexander Isak has been operating at an elite goalscoring level this season with 19 goals in 26 games across all competitions. The Swede scored a poacher’s goal against Arsenal in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, demonstrating why he is being regarded as one of the best strikers in the Premier League over the last couple of years.
Monitoring Isak’s movements in the final third is difficult as he is swift and physical. The task of handling the Newcastle striker will fall on the shoulders of Arsenal centre-backs—Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
Having marshalled Erling Haaland well for large parts of the game on Sunday, even though he did score a towering header, Gabriel and Saliba should be proud of their displays. Arguably the best centre-half pairing in the division, they will have to be at their best to tame Isak in midweek.
#Martin Odegaard vs Bruno Guimaraes
Games are often won and lost in midfield, and this cup tie won’t be anything different when two well-oiled units clash against each other. The onus will be on the Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard to run the show and unlock the rigid Newcastle defence. After his excellent display against Man City, where he opened the scoring within a couple of minutes of the start, the Norwegian’s confidence should be high on confidence heading into the game.
Newcastle’s midfield maestro, Bruno Guimaraes will be tasked with keeping Odegaard quiet. As a No.8, the Brazilian must keep things simple and not commit unnecessary fouls in promising areas for the Gunners to take advantage of. Odegaard will try to get into pockets of spaces and influence the play in the final third, something Bruno should aim to cut out.
It will be an interesting battle in the middle of the park and one who wins it could have a big say in this cup tie.
