Arsenal v Newcastle United: Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg – live
Share:
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Martinelli, Trossard, Havertz. Subs: Porter, Zinchenko, Tierney, Kiwior, Calafiori, Jorginho, Merino, Sterling, Jesus. Newcastle United: Dubravka, Hall, Botman, Burn, Livramento, Joelinton, Tonali, Willock, Gordon, Isak, Willock.
Subs: Odysseas, Trippier, Barnes, Targett, Osula, Almiron, Kelly, Longstaff, Miley. It’s the latest staging of the Walls and Bridges derby! Whatever gets you through the night, s’alright. A lot has happened between Newcastle and Arsenal since young Winston O’Boogie illustrated their meeting in the 1952 FA Cup final. George Eastham, Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka, Cheik Tioté, all that. So let’s just fast forward to last November ….
… when yes, we did use this exact same riff in the preamble. But the result of that game turned out to be exactly the same as the previous season’s fixture, so there’s an element of life imitating art here. However, while those two matches paint Newcastle in a favourable light, there’s also the small matter of the resounding 4-1 win for Arsenal at the Emirates last February to consider, so both sides have something positive to cling onto going into this two-legged semi-final. It’s set up deliciously then, and both teams are in canny fettle to boot: the Gunners are 13 matches unbeaten in all competitions, while the Toon are currently riding a six-win wave. Should be a cracker! Here’s hoping. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!.
