Mikel Arteta has named his Arsenal team to take on Newcastle in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners will be looking to collect an advantage heading into the second leg in February, with St. James’ Park a notoriously tough place to visit.
A place in the final of the EFL Cup is up for grabs, with Arsenal keen to land some silverware to show progress under Mikel Arteta.
A few obstacles stand in the way, some of them being the opposition, the others being issues within the squad itself.
Injuries and illness could prove costly for the north London outfit, but it’s up to the manager to find solutions.
For the visit of Newcastle, he has certainly named a team that he feels will give them the best chance of winning.
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Arsenal team news announced vs Newcastle
Arsenal had several key issues heading into the tie with Newcastle, mixing from the injury front to illness in the camp.
Ethan Nwaneri is a fresh injury blow, with the starlet picking up a muscular problem in the recent draw with Brighton – making him unavailable for weeks.
That combines with issues on the right wing, as Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling have been out for a few weeks.
There are already long-term concerns for Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu at the back, with the pair still sidelined.
Illness has blighted both Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard over the past week – with the former missing out altogether on the squad to face Brighton.
While injuries have been an issue, there was some positive news for Arteta when it came to selecting his team.
There was a return for Kai Havertz, while Raheem Sterling features in the squad once again, returning from injury.
It appears as though Gabriel Martinelli will appear on the right flank, taking over from Nwaneri after his injury issues.
There were also starts for Jurrien Timber, who returned from suspension, and Odegaard who is starting after an illness issue.
Meanwhile, the Arsenal academy also featured prominently in the start through Myles Lewis-Skelly and on the bench with Jack Porter.
Newcastle team news vs Arsenal for EFL Cup semi-final
Newcastle have also named their team to take on Arsenal, with a few changes enforced within the team for the tie.
Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar are suspended after picking up two yellow cards in the EFL Cup before the semi-final stage.
There is a start for Arsenal transfer target Alexander Isak, who will be looking to impress ahead of an unlikely, but potential switch.
Eddie Howe also decided to opt with Sven Botman from the start, coming as a surprise so soon after returning from injury.
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