Arsenal vs Newcastle Prediction, Lineups and Odds: Two bets for tonight's Carabao Cup Clash

The first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Newcastle is rapidly approaching as the Premier League teams prepare to do battle at the Emirates, live on both ITV and Sky Sports at 8pm.

This competition serves as a great chance for both managers to start adding some trophies to their time at each club, with Arteta only winning one FA Cup at Arsenal and Eddie Howe yet to pick up any silverware at Newcastle.

Diarmuid Geaney has picked out his best bets for tonight's clash, while you can find the latest information on the lineups, odds, and bet boosts for the encounter.

For my first tip I am predicting that Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali will be booked.

The Newcastle midfielder has been a key player for the club this season but often gets yellow cards. He’s picked up four bookings in 18 league games so far, which works out to roughly one every four matches. As a central midfielder, Tonali is heavily involved in tackles and breaking up attacks, which makes him more likely to commit fouls.

This match is expected to be intense, especially in the midfield battle. Tonali will be up against Arsenal players like Martin Ødegaard in the middle of the pitch who is great at winning free kicks. Arsenal’s quick attackers, like Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, could also force Tonali into fouling them to stop their runs. With the high stakes and fast-paced nature of this game, there’s a good chance Tonali could pick up a yellow card and I like the odds of 2/1 for this to happen.

My second prediction for this match is Arsenal to win with a -1 handicap. This means Arsenal need to win by at least two goals for the bet to come through.

Despite their latest draw to Brighton, Arsenal have been in good form recently, especially at home, where they’ve been tough to beat. They’re unbeaten in their last 13 matches across all competitions and have won six of their nine Premier League games at the Emirates this season. Historically, they’ve dominated Newcastle at home, with Newcastle failing to win at the Emirates for over 14 years.

Although Newcastle come into this match on the back of six straight wins, Arsenal’s home advantage and superior attacking options, even with injuries to players like Bukayo Saka, make this a strong bet. Players like William Saliba and Martin Ødegaard are more than capable of leading Arsenal to a convincing win. A -1 handicap offers solid value if you believe Arsenal can get the job done in style.

Arsenal vs Newcastle Lineups

Arsenal boss Mike Arteta has made five changes to his side, bringing in skipper Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, Martinelli, and Myles Lewis-Skelly into his starting-11. Ethan Nwaneri is out after picking up an injury against Brighton.

Newcastle's in-form striker Isak starts for the Toon, as does Gordon. Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes are both suspended.

The official lineups for Arsenal vs Newcastle can be viewed in the graphic below.