Arsenal vs Newcastle United

Bidding to make North London lightning strike twice in the space of four days, Newcastle United paid a visit to the Emirates on Tuesday evening to have a showdown with Arsenal in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.

Whereas the Gunners were only able to return from the Saturday evening encounter with the Seagulls with a bare point earned from the 1-1 draw, Howe’s men had caused a stir in north London by coming away from the Tottenham Hotspur new stadium with a 2-1 victory.

Arsenal have made a habit of commanding aerial triumphs in opposition penalty areas for most of this season, but a comical heading mishap in their own penalty area at the Amex Stadium saw Brighton inflict the latest blow to Arsenal’s fading Premier League title chase.

What started as an encouraging first-half opener by 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri who etched his name into the Arsenal history books was dampened by a perceived headbutt on Brighton player Joao Pedro against William Saliba, leading to a penalty kick that Brighton forward Joao Pedro successfully converted by beating Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya with his penalty kick attempt.

It is not in any way surprising that Arteta and Hurzeler would have opposing opinions over the penalty incident let alone, both sides should have agreed that as the second half progressed the Seagulls look more capable of scoring the next goal than Arsenal and with two remaining for Liverpool the Gunners could find themselves 11 points behind the Reds.

While one could hardly argue that a draw on Saturday could be an exciting affair, the result can be looked at in a relatively positive light because the Gunners emerged unscathed in their 13-match unbeaten run across all competitions - and with a free-scoring 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup a week ago inspired by their recent signing of Gabriel Jesus.

The Gunners, who have advanced to the final from two of their past three EFL Cup semifinals—though that one loss occurred in their most recent two-leg match against Liverpool in 2021–22—are still seeking for their first League Cup title since 1993. They have also won every home game this season.

Unless the 2005–06 Intertoto Cup is considered a major prize, Newcastle has yet to win a major League Cup and is on the verge of reaching 70 years without a major honor. Arsenal's League Cup success is quite small.

Although Howe's team hasn't been without effort since their big-money takeover, they lost to Manchester United's superiority in the tournament's 2022–2023 final. Nevertheless, the moment is undoubtedly near for the Magpies to commemorate this new chapter with a glittering trophy.

To get this far, Howe's crop had to fight their way past three Premier League teams—not only AFC Wimbledon, but also Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Chelsea. Tuesday's visitors could hardly be returning to North London with a greater spring in their step.

In fact, the Champions League contenders defeated Spurs 2-1 on Saturday lunchtime thanks to goals from Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak. It was their sixth consecutive victory across all competitions, and it was the eighth straight game in which they scored at least twice.

Although Newcastle defeated Arsenal 1-0 in their opening Premier League match of the season at St James' Park, they haven't rocked up to the Emirates and emerged victorious since 2010. Haunting North London teams has swiftly become a favorite hobby of Newcastle's.

Kai Havertz is also in a race against time to prove his fitness after missing back-to-back games due to illness, while Nwaneri has now been ruled out for "a few weeks"—meaning he might miss up to ten games.

While Sean Longstaff and former Gunner Joe Willock will compete to replace Guimaraes, Lloyd Kelly may fill the Schar vacuum here as it would be unexpected to see the Dutchman make consecutive starts so soon after his recovery from an ACL injury.