Newcastle v Arsenal, Wednesday 8pm
Newcastle hold a 2-0 lead after the first leg at the Emirates, where goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon either side of half-time gave them a massive advantage in the tie. Newcastle fans must have felt confident of booking a spot at Wembley at the time, though recent form has perhaps given them some cause for concern.
Newcastle have lost two of their last three games – 4-1 to Bournemouth and 2-1 to Fulham. Crucially, both defeats have been at St James’ Park. To add to their pre-match jitters, Arsenal are in great form. They have won five of their last six matches and have just hammered the league champions Manchester City 5-1.
The Arsenal players could not be more confident. “We are going to go there to win the game and to score three, four, five,” said Gabriel Martinelli when asked about the tie. “We have an amazing team and we trust ourselves. We have full confidence in our squad.”
The good news for Newcastle, though, is that Bruno Guimarães and Fabian Schär will be available after both missed the first leg. The Brazilian’s return is particularly important given his compatriot Joelinton is expected to miss out with a knee injury. Nick Pope is back, though Callum Wilson, Jamaal Lascelles and Harvey Barnes continue to miss out. Arsenal suffered no fresh injury scares on Sunday but Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu are still absent.
Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed in the win over City after his ban was overturned and he may continue at left-back, while Ethan Nwaneri, who has excelled in the League Cup this season, could start from the right flank having come off the bench and scored on Sunday.
Arsenal have the wind in their sails but they have lost three of their last four games at St James’ Park. Newcastle fans have not seen their team win a major trophy in 70 years, so the stadium will be rocking. They won’t get many better chances than this.
Prediction: Newcastle to lose 2-1 on the night but progress on aggregate.
Liverpool v Tottenham, Thursday 8pm
Liverpool took their 1-0 defeat in the first leg at Tottenham personally. They have won five of their seven games since, their only defeat coming at PSV in the Champions League when they had already progressed to the next round of the competition. They finished top of the Champions League group, they are six points clear at the top of the Premier League, they have a very winnable FA Cup tie against Plymouth at the weekend, so the quadruple is still on – if they beat Spurs at Anfield.
Having ended Bournemouth’s unbeaten streak on the south coast at the weekend, Arne Slot’s side will feel confident about overturning the one-goal deficit from the first leg. The manager may go with the bulk of the XI that started that match, with the exception of Ibrahima Konaté coming in for Jarell Quansah at the back. They are likely to be without Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was withdrawn in the 70th minute against Bournemouth with a thigh injury.
Injuries remain a huge concern for Spurs. “Every time I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s usually been an oncoming train,” said Ange Postecoglou last week. The Tottenham manager suffered another setback when centre-back Radu Dragusin suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Elfsborg in the Europa League.
Postecoglou takes his Tottenham side to Anfield with a lengthy absentee list, with Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario all out. Micky van de Ven may also miss out, having been left out of the squad for the 2-0 win at Brentford at the weekend.
Postecoglou may go with the same XI that started that game unless either of the club’s new signings is available. Kevin Danso joined over the weekend, on loan from Ligue 1 club Lens, and could be available provided he receives a work permit and international clearance in time. Mathys Tel, the 19-year-old forward who has joined on loan from Bayern Munich, may also be an option, which would be a huge boost for Spurs.
Prediction: Liverpool to win 3-1 on the night and progress on aggregate.
