Alan Shearer admits he is ‘very twitchy’ ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final between Newcastle and Arsenal, saying the Gunners could win if they do one thing. Arsenal travel to St. James’ Park on Wednesday night in high spirits after thrashing Manchester City 5-1 in the Premier League on Sunday. On the flip side, Newcastle lost 2-1 at home to Fulham on Saturday, despite leading after an hour, in a huge blow to their top four aspirations.

However, the Magpies are 2-0 up in the cup semi-final after an impressive performance in the first leg at the Emirates, with the winner of the tie set to face either Tottenham or Liverpool in the Wembley final. While Shearer still believes his former club will emerge victorious, he’s a lot more nervous following the Man City mauling and believes Arsenal can complete a comeback if one thing were to happen.

‘Very twitchy. The one thing we don’t want is Arsenal to score early because I would bet the tension around the ground will be off the charts,’ the Newcastle legend said on The Rest is Football podcast. ‘It definitely would concern me because the previous home game against Bournemouth they got battered. They didn’t deserve anything out of yesterday’s game with Fulham. ‘Another home game on Wednesday evening, a really, really important one. But they have got a 2-0 lead going into this one, which is slightly different.

‘There’s not going to be a question of are they going to be up for it or the atmosphere or anything like that. So the atmosphere will be off the charts. But I think what is key is we must not concede an early goal.’. Unfortunately for Shearer, Arsenal have scored seven first-half goals in their last six games, with Martin Odegaard’s opener against Man City coming within the first two minutes.

Still, the former striker has warned Mikel Arteta that Eddie Howe will not change tack for this match and should not expected the Magpies to sit back and defend their advantage. ‘Newcastle’s game is at their best when they’re full on energy, closing down, not giving the opposition any space,’ he added. ‘Playing on the front foot particularly at St. James’ Park down the hill. It’s not going to be straightforward. I hope it is from a Newcastle point of view!.

‘I wouldn’t care if Newcastle didn’t win another game this season if they win on Wednesday night and the final. I’d be a happy man!’. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Arrow MORE: Arsenal star praised for what he did straight after Myles Lewis-Skelly goal celebration. Arrow MORE: The enormous amount Man City have spent in transfer window after Nico Gonzalez deal.