Arsenal travel to the north-east to face Newcastle United in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final tie on Wednesday night.
The Gunners’ spirits will be high after thrashing Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, to tighten their grip on second place in the Premier League.
However, Mikel Arteta’s team have a two-goal deficit to overturn in this game, after Newcastle beat Arsenal at the Emirates last time out.
With a ten-day break to follow this encounter, the Arsenal boss must pick a strong line-up to attempt to turn the tie around, although there are a couple of key personnel changes that must be made.
Mikel Arteta should start Ethan Nwaneri and Raheem Sterling against Newcastle
Against City, Leandro Trossard delivered an exceptional performance which showcased supreme technical security in tight spaces, as well as a relentless work rate.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli produced a spirited outing, contributing to Arsenal’s effective press and overall defensive solidity.
Despite these impressive showings from the Gunners’ two wide men, Arteta should drop both to the bench for the game against the Magpies.
Trossard and Martinelli have played significant minutes in recent matches and will likely be fatigued after an intense clash with City.
Arteta has both Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri to call upon, and they should both start this game.
Nwaneri has been superb in recent games and looks to be Arsenal’s best analogue for Bukayo Saka.
The teenager shares similar attributes to Saka, and the North Londoners have looked best as an attacking force without their talisman when the youngster on the pitch.
As for Sterling, the 30-year-old may have frustrated fans with his displays in the last month, but he looked more at home on the left against Girona in the Champions League last week.
The Chelsea loanee has also forged a promising partnership with Nwaneri in his limited minutes this season.
Sterling created Nwaneri’s first goal against Bolton earlier this term, while also assisting the Hale End graduates’ first Premier League goal against Nottingham Forest.
Both goals came from cut-backs, with this combination evidently an effective way for the two players to link up and damage the opposition.
Ethan Nwaneri’s statistics this season
Not only does Nwaneri pass the eye test, but his statistics also indicate that he’s on the right trajectory to becoming a superstar.
Netting seven goals across all competitions, the starlet has the ability to shoot accurately from distance on a consistent basis.
| Nwaneri’s Premier League Statistics 2024/25 | |
| Appearances | 16 |
| Starts | 3 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Shots per 90 | 2.78 |
| Expected Goals per 90 | 0.16 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 1.56 |
| Expected Assists per 90 | 0.13 |
Taking almost three shots per 90 minutes, he certainly has an eye for goal, and this is an aspect of his game you’d only expect to improve further as he develops and matures.
It’s still a small sample size, but the early signs point to a player that could become elite in a settled environment at Arsenal.
Nwaneri could even be used as a striker to spare Havertz some minutes this season.
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