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Arsenal host Newcastle at The Emirates on Tuesday night in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, with both sides looking to gain the advantage before the return match at St. James’ Park later in the month.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle head into the game as the form team in the top flight. They have won their last 6 games in a row in all competitions, scoring 18 goals and conceding just 2 during this glut of fixtures.
The Toon Army have the 5th best record in the PL on the road and have netted in their last 9 matches in a row, having previously struggled for goals earlier in the campaign.
For Mikel Arteta’s title chasing Gunners, it’s 11 points from the last 15 available. Arsenal have the 4th best home record so far this term and are still the only side yet to taste defeat at home, winning 6 and drawing 3 of their 9 league matches at the Emirates.
Newcastle are bidding to reach their 2nd final in 3 seasons in this competition. Meanwhile, The Gunners are searching to reach their first final since 2018 where they lost 3-0 to Manchester City.
Few teams play out from the back better than both Arsenal and Newcastle in my opinion. An attacking style of play, which is easy on the eye, is usually the order of the day from both managers and this should make for an entertaining semi-final.
Out of the two sides, it’s Arteta’s Arsenal who generally see more of the ball, with an average of 55.3% possession from their 20 PL matches this term. Moreover, 5 of the 7 clean sheets The Gunners have kept in the league have come at home and they have conceded the fewest number of goals this season (18).
Furthermore, the Arsenal defence has been breached just 6 times in the league at The Emirates all term. That’s the best record of all the top-flight teams.
Howe’s Newcastle equally like to build the attacks up from back-to-front and certainly seem to have found their rhythm in recent matches. Like Arsenal, The Magpies have struck a balance between defensive organisation and pose a real goal scoring threat going forward.
9 clean sheets in all competitions this season and the 4th best defence in the top-flight is a testament to how solid Newcastle have become. This is particularly true in recent matches where they have shipped just 1 goal in their last 5 games.
On top of the solid defensive foundations both teams have built, they are also such a threat in the attacking third. With Gabriel Jesus and Alexander Isak firing on all cylinders lately, both Arteta and Howe have respective strikers in sensational form.
Gabriel Jesus has bagged 4 goals in 3 games in the League Cup, including a hat-trick against Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals. The Brazilian appears to have found his scoring boots once again with 6 goals in his last 5 games and has stepped up to the plate in the absence of injury-stricken Bukayo Saka.
Arguably Newcastle possess a forward in even better form, with Isak scoring 14 times in 21 appearances across all competitions. The Swedish international striker has netted 9 times in Newcastle’s previous 8 matches and in his last 7 consecutive PL matches.
When looking at the betting markets for this eagerly anticipated and finely poised semi-final first leg, I feel it could be very difficult to separate the two teams.
With Gabriel Jesus and Alexander Isak’s goalscoring hot streak, the best price of 43/20 with Unibet for Gabriel Jesus to score anytime, and 9/4 with BoyleSports on Isak to score during the game look appealing.
However, the mean defences of both sides are enough to put me off tipping either of these in-form strikers to score again in what could be a tight match.
Arsenal have only been breached twice at The Emirates in the last 6. Meanwhile, Newcastle’s tightened backline have only conceded twice in the last 6 fixtures.
Another bet that I considered was backing Newcastle to avoid defeat in this one, betting it via the Handicap market. Taking Newcastle +1 at 59/50 at Unibet is appealing.
The Magpies are in exceptional form and are a match for any side at the moment with the way they are playing.
That being said, The Gunners are yet to lose on home soil this season so at a much bigger price my tip for this semi-final first leg is for the game to finish a draw.
I feel that with the current form of both sides, it might well prove tough to separate them and find a winner. It’s a result that would certainly leave the tie in the balance ahead of the 2nd leg at St. James’ Park.
bet365 are offering the best price on the draw and the 3/1 odds represent good value in my opinion. Arsenal have drawn a third of their PL home matches so far and Newcastle have also picked up 3 draws from their 11 games on their travels.
It’s a result that I see would reflect the tight nature of the match and leave it with everything to play for when the sides clash again.
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