Newcastle will host Arsenal at St. James’ Park on Wednesday, February 5 at 8:30 PM (GMT) in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals. The Magpies won the first leg 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
The hosts will enter this match on the back of a mixed run of form. They have won three of their last five matches with encouraging scorelines, but have also lost two games in crushing fashion. In this run, Newcastle have scored an impressive 11 goals but also conceded a worrying eight goals as well. They gave away a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 against Fulham in their last match and will look to perform better in the next one.
The visitors, on the other hand, seem to have revived their form despite missing key players through injury. Arsenal have won four of their last five matches across competitions, drawing the other one. In this run, they have shown great resilience and have navigated some challenging moments in games. The Gunners have scored 13 goals and conceded just four, keeping two clean sheets as well. Having smashed Man City 5-1 last time, they will be overflowing with confidence.
On that note, let’s take a look at the team news & predicted lineups.
Newcastle Team News & Predicted Lineup
Manager Eddie Howe suffered a defeat in his last game despite putting out a strong XI. Another headache the manager will have to deal with is regarding Joelinton’s fitness after he had to be withdrawn in the second half of their match against Fulham.
They will be without three other players as well. Callum Wilson (hamstring), Harvey Barnes (muscle), Jamaal Lascelles (cruciate ligament) will all miss out as they continue to recover.
Howe will go with the strongest possible XI, similar to the team that faced Fulham.
Predicted XI: Dubravka (GK); Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes (C), Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
Arsenal Team News & Predicted Lineup
Manager Mikel Arteta will be mighty pleased with the focus and character shown by his team – especially the youngsters – as they smashed City 5-1 last time out. The manager used four subs as well, but there were no new injuries or suspensions to report.
However, the Gunners will be without four players. Benjamin White (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Gabriel Jesus (cruciate ligament) will all miss out as they continue to recover.
Arteta will likely rotate his XI slightly, with a couple of players expected to drop to the bench.
Predicted XI: Raya (GK); Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard (C), Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Havertz, Martinelli.
Head-to-Head Record
These two teams have faced each other very often in the last few years, with the results being shared almost equally between the two teams. Newcastle have won three of the last five meetings between the two sides, while Arsenal have won the other two.
| Date | Match | Competition |
| 08/01/25 | Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle | EFL Cup |
| 02/11/24 | Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 25/02/24 | Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle | Premier League |
| 04/11/23 | Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 07/05/23 | Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal | Premier League |
Newcastle vs Arsenal Prediction
Games between these two sides have been close and although Newcastle have the upper hand in terms of head-to-head, Arsenal will bring great confidence into this game from their last match and will secure the win. The game could also enter extra-time, but the Gunners will progress.
Prediction: Newcastle 0-3 Arsenal (a.e.t).
