Getty Images 07 January 2025, 13:59

As part of the 2024/25 English League Cup semi-finals, we are expecting a confrontation between London Arsenal and Newcastle, which will take place at the Gunners’ home stadium.

ARSENAL – NEWCASTLE TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 10 p.m. EMIRATES, LONDON. HEAD REFEREE – CRAIG PAWSON. LIVE ON SETANTA SPORTS Mikel Arteta’s team is still in the championship race this season, something we have become accustomed to in recent years. But even if Manchester City is in a state of crisis (although it is also gradually trying to get out of it), there will still be some conditional Liverpool, due to whose outstanding performances Arsenal will not be able to climb to the top of the tournament table, at least in the middle of the season.

At the same time, the Gunners still manage to demonstrate good results in the UEFA Champions League, and soon the FA Cup will be added to their list, so the schedule will be such that you won’t have to be bored. However, if Arteta’s team wants to fight for high achievements (and they do), they must be ready for such challenges.

In the League Cup, Arsenal has already gone far enough, although its path to the semi-finals cannot be accurately called difficult. Bolton (5-1), Preston (3-0) and Crystal Palace (3-2) are not the level of opposition to stop the Gunners if they really aim to go as far as possible in any competition. But Newcastle is a slightly different matter.

The team of Eddie Gau this season remained without the Champions League and European Cups in general, which for the “forties” is actually not so bad, as it became clear during the course of the campaign. High tempo and competition on all fronts – this is not yet compatible with the current state of affairs and St. James’ Park, although the financial resource received by the club was quite significant at one time. It was still possible to build a strong middle peasant, but, as of today, only an unstable one.

However, it is precisely such “strong middle peasants” who sometimes achieve victories in second-echelon tournaments, such as the League Cup. And this time, Newcastle has already done enough to be reckoned with. Wimbledon (1:0) was a warm-up, but the victories over Chelsea (2:0) and Brentford (3:1) are another level. And if it weren’t for the loss of Bruno Guimaraes due to a series of yellow cards for the upcoming game, it could be argued that the “Magpies” successfully overcame the path to the semi-finals as much as possible.

And it seems that Gau’s team has a streak of six matches in a row exclusively from victories, four of which ended without conceding any goals. But Newcastle will be playing away from home for the third time in a row, and when one of those matches is away to the Emirates, it doesn’t bode well. The last time the “Magpies” won here was in 2010, and in the last six seasons, if Arsenal wins, it does so with at least a two-goal lead, so you should not look for competition in those meetings.

However, this time Arteta’s team approaches the meeting with the same personnel problems and against the background of a draw against Brighton (1:1), as well as the general dissatisfaction of the fans with the rather limited attacking potential of their favorite team. Will there be hope that Newcastle, who have previously managed to beat Aston Villa (3:0), Manchester United (2:0) and Tottenham (2:1), will not be able to stop the signature corners of the Gunners?

According to bookmakers, Mikel Arteta’s wards are the favorites for the upcoming confrontation. For example, odds of 1.81 are offered for Arsenal to win, while Newcastle’s potential success is estimated at 4.60. The probability of a draw is represented by a coefficient of 3.70. The passage of the Gunners to the next stage of the tournament is estimated at 1.55, and the Magpies at 2.45.

INDICATIVE COMPOSITIONS ARSENAL: Raya — Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Edegore, Parti, Rice — Martinelli, Jesus, Trossar.

NEWCASTLE : Dubravka — Trippier, Kelly, Burn, Hall — Longstaff, Tonali, Joelinton — Murphy, Isaac, Gordon.

Will not play: Nwaneri, Saka, Sterling, Tomiyasu, White, Netu – Guimaraes, Craft, Lascelles, Pope, Sher, Wilson, Boatman

In question: Haverts — …

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prediction 1:1, ARSENAL PASS